Grilled Cheese with Dilled Havarti and Sliced Apples

It’s getting downright chilly. So why not warm yourself up with some gooey grilled cheese sandwiches.

When most people think of grilled cheese, they might imagine American cheese on white bread. Well, I can barely eat that stuff now. Grilled cheese should have real cheese in it. There’s nothing better than some toasty bread with sharp cheddar cheese. But this recipe is a little different with the addition of fall fruit.

A hearty wheat bread with dilled havarti cheese and some fresh fall apples sounded like a perfect fall lunch. After all fruit and cheese go together. And I was pleasantly surprised at how all the flavors melded together so well. The sweetness of the apples cut through the richness of the cheese. The wheat breads adds a wonderful nutty flavor. And I always love the fresh and invigorating flavor of dill

Almost any grocery store has Havarti with dill. It’s a semi-soft white cheese with lots of flavor. The dill gives it that refreshing taste that is made more apparent after it’s melted. For the apples, super-thin slices of Granny Smiths or other firm apples (Gala?) will go great with this. I used a mandoline to slice the apples for the perfect thickness.  

Printable Version

Ingredients

• 1-2 thinly sliced apples
• Salted butter, softened
• Honey whole wheat bread
• Havarti dill cheese

Directions

1. Slice apples thinly with a slicer or mandoline.
2. Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, spread butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. (I toast both sides with butter)
3. Once the pan is warm, add 1 slice of bread buttered side down, and top with  the cheese and apples to your liking. Close with the second bread slice, buttered side up.
4. Cook until bread is toasted and cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side.

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Herb Butter

Butter goes with everything right? But sometimes it needs something more. I love this recipe for herbed butter. Dried herbs and fresh garlic is all you need.

It goes great on a warmed French baguette, with some veggies and pasta or even on top of a baked potato. And don’t forget, fresh herbs will make this recipe even better.

Ingredients

1 stick salted butter (room temperature)

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried basil

Mix all the ingredients until the butter if fluffier and then refrigerate.

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Easy Caramel Sauce

I didn’t know caramel sauce could be this easy, but it is. And it tastes way better than the stuff from the bottle.

The process begins by adding sugar, water and a touch of salt to a saucepan. Once the mixture begins boiling, watch it carefully but do not stir. I used a non-stick saucepan and it made the process a lot easier.

As the sugar mixture boils, it will get very thick. Then you’ll start seeing come color in your clear sugar. First some blond shades and then a richer medium brown. Once it begins to show some real color, begin stirring until the sugar is evenly medium brown and remove from the heat.

Now you’ll want to be careful as you add the cream, because it’s cold cream meeting molten sugar. Slowly add the cream and whisk vigorously so that the sugar doesn’t form a ball as it hits the cream. Whisk until fully mixed and then just let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.

The caramel is thinner than you would expect for a caramel sauce, but as it cools it thickens up nicely. If you’re using the sauce for something hot, it won’t stay as thick however.

This sauce would be great on top of ice cream, as a dip for apple slices, or with some bread pudding.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of cream of tartar (don’t sweat it, if you don’t have any on hand. I doubt a pinch of anything will change the consistency)
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Combine 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, salt and cream of tartar in a small saucepan. DO NOT STIR.

2. Bring to a boil. Once the sugar begins to brown, stir until evenly medium brown.

3. Then carefully add 1 cup of cream and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

4. Remove from pan into a heat-safe bowl and let cool before refrigerating.

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review: Ketchum Grill - Ketchum, Idaho

During my recent trip to the Trailing of the Sheep festival in Ketchum, Idaho, we knew we had to stop for a nice dinner somewhere. After looking at restaurants online and some of their reviews, we settled for the Ketchum Grill.

We had reservations at 8pm and the place was packed. Luckily at the entrance you’re met with some nice chairs and a very warm fireplace while you wait for your table.

Once we were called, we were seated at a small table for two, where I had to squeeze in hoping not to knock anything off a fellow diner’s table. They had the night’s specials on the wall and quite a few large parties. Our drink orders were taken and a few minutes later we were presented with some great bread.

One slice seemed to be wheat and had walnuts and a fruit of some kind and tasted nutty and flavorful. Another slice was white with fruit and also tasted great. I didn’t ask what kind it was, I just ate it.

By this time my water was empty, and the waiter seemed to disappear from our table. He was doing the best he could. Management seemed to give him a whole section of about 6-7 tables and one of those had a party of eight. I’m not sure what they were thinking because he couldn’t keep up.

It took a while but then our food finally came. My mom ordered slow roasted lamb with Indian spices and mint yogurt (it was a sheep festival after all). I ordered the grilled peppered breast of duck with Idaho huckleberries and port.

I snuck a bite of the lamb and it was OK. It tasted like pot roast. For some reason I expected something a little more, especially with the price attached to it. It wasn’t dry but imagined it would be in some kind of wonderful pan juices. I’m not sure where the Indian spices were, because they weren’t in the meat. The mint yogurt didn’t really add anything to the dish when the meat was supposed to be the star. Basically, I could have made pot roast at home for a lot cheaper.

  I ordered my duck medium. It was topped with an Idaho huckleberry sauce alongside some wild rice. The sauce wasn’t overly sweet and tasted pretty good. The duck breast was tough. I could barely cut through one of its stringy tendons inside the breast. I wasn’t pleased, but I ate it anyway. I’ve made duck breast at home twice, by roasting it. One time it came out wonderful and tender. Another time it came out tough. Perhaps it’s just a finicky bird to cook.

It was now time for dessert. We were full, but we weren’t going to leave without some dessert. My mom ordered the inside out German Chocolate Cake. Broiled coconut-pecan topping was layered in between rich chocolate cake, and topped with an almost too rich chocolate ganache.

I ordered the pumpkin brioche bread pudding with salted caramel ice cream. It was awesome. The pumpkin flavor was pronounced but not overdone and the housemade ice cream was creamy and delicious. The middle of the bread pudding wasn’t as warm as the outside, so I assume it was reheated, but I ate through that too. I wouldn’t want anything to go to waste.

Overall it was an OK place to eat, and my mom seemed happy. But it wouldn’t be my first choice. I’d need to experience the other fine dining hot spots in Ketchum, before giving Ketchum Grill a second look.

Technorati Tags: ketchum grill,restaurant,review,ketchum,idaho,duck,lamb,dessert,pumpkin,bread pudding,cake,huckleberries

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Mozzarella and Radicchio Pasta

This is an adventure in bitter veggies. The highlight of this dish is radicchio. It’s that little red head that looks like cabbage at the grocery store. Here in the U.S. you’ll find it mostly in salads, but here’s another way to get your veggies.

Radicchio is a leaf chicory. It’s bitter, but the taste mellows with cooking or grilling. In Italy, where the vegetable is popular, it’s usually eaten grilled in olive oil, or mixed into dishes such as risotto.

I’ve cut down the amount of radicchio in this recipe, because it called for three heads. I couldn’t even fit that in my saute pan. One and a half heads should be just fine. Once the cream sauce is made, season with salt to taste. This should help cut down on the bitterness. The richness of the cheeses also helps cut through the radicchio. The pasta would also go well with meat that has some sweetness to it, such as teriyaki chicken. Hey, why not mix Asian with Italian.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium white onion, small dice (about 1 cup)
• 7 medium Roma tomatoes (about 2 pounds), cored and coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 heads radicchio, ends trimmed and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 pound penne rigate or ziti pasta
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the upper third. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it foams, add garlic and onion, season well with salt, and cook until translucent. Add tomatoes and let simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Add radicchio and cream, and cook until radicchio is wilted, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in the salted water until nearly done, or about half the time recommended on the packaging and drain. (Do not rinse.) Set aside.
4. Once sauce has finished simmering, combine it with half-cooked pasta and mix until pasta is evenly coated. Place pasta mixture in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan over top. Place in the oven and bake until mixture is bubbling, pasta is al dente, and top is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Technorati Tags: radicchio,chicory,pasta,mozarella,bitter,recipe

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Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Nut Topping

Yep, it’s time to break out the fall recipes and throw a little spice into some cakes. This Oatmeal Cake turned out nice and fluffy and the broiled topping gives it a nice sweetness. It’s great paired with some vanilla ice cream, or even better, perhaps some salted caramel ice cream. If you want to make it a little more moist with a hint of apples, I imagine you could add 1/4-1/2 cup applesauce to the mix. The kitchen is for testing.

Printable Version

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup butter
• 2  eggs
• 1-1/4  cups boiling water
• 1  cup rolled oats
• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon salt
• 1/4  teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4  cup granulated sugar
• 1/2  cup packed brown sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1  recipe Broiled Nut Topping

Directions

1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and lightly flour a 9-inch springform pan; set pan aside. In small bowl pour boiling water over oats. Stir until combined; let stand 20 minutes. In medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg; set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and oatmeal mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove sides of pan; cool on wire rack at least 1 hour more.

4. Transfer cake to a baking sheet. Spread Broiled Nut Topping over warm cake. Broil about 4 inches from heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until topping is bubbly and golden. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

5. Makes 12 servings

6. Broiled Nut Topping: In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter and 2 tablespoons half-and-half, light cream, or milk. Cook and stir until butter melts. Add 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts and 1/3 cup flaked coconut.

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field trip: Trailing of the Sheep Festival

Last week I traveled from St. Paul to my home state, to take my mom to a Ketchum, Idaho tradition; The Trailing of the Sheep Festival. It’s a weekend of food, events and shows centered around the culture of sheep in Idaho. You’ll find traditional Basque and Pervuian dancers, sheep dog training and trials, barbecues and local restaurants preparing lamb dishes for all to try.

The main event is a parade, but it’s not your normal event. Main Street is shut down, thousands of people line the streets and 1500 sheep are herded right through town.

Traditional wagons that sheepherders live in, pulled by beautiful horses were the first “floats” to take the trek through Main Street. I don’t remember what kind of horses these are but they are huge and have amazing color.

Next, Polish, Basque and Peruvian dancers delighted the crowd with synchronized dances that have a long history in their culture.

The sheep were late and the chilly wind was brisk. My teeth were chattering toward the end but at least the sun was shining. Finally, an hour late, the sheep were finally spotted at the end of Main Street. They were moving at a fast pace, and it didn’t look like 1500 sheep, but there they were, packed into Main Street. Apparently every black-faced sheep represents 100 white-faced sheep. I’m guessing this helps the herders keep track of their flock. The sheep were not moving at a leisurely stroll. It seemed like they were gone in about 15 seconds, so getting a good picture was a roll of the dice.

It’s now the home to Starbucks, but in 1936 it was a general store. It served as the sheep center where ranchers congregated to swap stories about prices and weather. It’s at the corner of Main Street and Sun Valley Road.

Polish sheep dogs called Tatras also roamed by for parade-goers to pet.

Sheep through Main Street is quite a sight but you’ll want to watch your step after the sheep leave. Once the parade was done, we hurried to get some soup and a burger to warm up.

 

For more history on the event, here’s my other blog post.

 

Technorati Tags: ketchum,idaho,trailing of the sheep festival,parade,tatra,sheep dog,food,event

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