Honey-Chevre Tarts

Makes 8

Ingredients

All butter pie crust

16 oz. chevre

1/4 cup honey

Thyme

Flaked salt (regular salt will also work)

Divide pastry dough into 8 equal pieces. Flatten each into a round disk, and roll out to about 1/16th of an inch. Sprinkle 2 oz. of chevre over the pastry, leaving 1/2 inch border around the edge of the pastry. Warm honey until it is thin and easy to drizzle. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of honey over the chevre on each pastry. Sprinkle thyme and salt over the pastries. Fold edges in, and crimp. Bake in 350˚F oven for about 15 minutes, or until pastry is beginning to brown and cheese is bubbling and browning.

Roast Delicata with Brie and Pecans

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Quarter two delicata squash (slicing the long way).
Rub squash with salt and oil (preferably grapeseed) until well coated.
Place on baking sheet an bake for 20 minutes.
Flip squash pieces and bake for another 20 minutes, until soft and browning on all sides.
Turn squash so that soft interior is facing up.
Place strips of brie (or other soft cheese) in the hollow.
Sprinkle finely chopped pecans over brie.
Return to oven until brie melts and begins to bubble.
Remove from oven, and let cool briefly.
Drizzle with warm honey or grade A maple syrup. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Spread

Pumpkin butter (recipe below)
Cream cheese
Gingersnap cookies, rice Cakes, unflavored crackers, or toast

Combine equal parts pumpkin butter and cream cheese. Spread on cookies for an easy dessert, or on crackers, rice cakes, or toast for a snack or appetizer.

Pumpkin Butter

Combine in saucepan: pumpkin puree from 1 small pumpkin (about 4 cups), 1-2 cups brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup orange juice (optional). Heat until hot, and simmer until thick, if necessary. (Some pumpkins will be juicier, and require some cooking before they get thick enough to spread. Others wont require any cooking at all.)

If desired, pour hot pumpkin butter into sterile jars, wipe down rims, and top with new lids. If canned, pumpkin butter can last up to a year. 

Almond-Currant Challah

Dissolve in 1 cup warm (110-115˚F) water:
1 tbsp yeast
Beat in:
1/2 cup vegetable, canola, or grapeseed oil
1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 eggs
*1/4 tsp cinnamon 
*1/4 tsp almond extract
Whisk until thoroughly combined. Then stir in:
6 cups flour
1 cup currants
1 1/2 cups whole almonds, soaked for at least 12 hours
Stir in:
2-3 cups flour
Stir and knead until desired consistency is reached, adding more flour if necessary.
Knead for 10 minutes.
Place Challah dough in greased bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let sit at room temperature for 2-5 hours, or until dough has doubled in size.
When risen, break apart into three sections, and stretch each until it is about 24 inches in length. Braid dough, and place on baking sheet. Cover with damp towel and let rise again for about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Bake Challah for about 40 minutes, checking every 10 minutes to make sure browning is even. (If not, foil can be used to cover the top, or rack adjustments can be made in the oven).

Serve Challah with butter and honey, or a soft cheese, such as brie.

* = Optional

Coffee Caramel Créme Brûlee Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
• 1/4 cup dark-roast coffee beans (such as French roast; about 3/4 ounce), crushed with mallet in plastic bag
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups half and half
• 8 large egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Sliced almonds
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup *optional*

Bring 1 cup cream and coffee beans to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let steep at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Stir 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, swirling pan occasionally, about 11 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add remaining 1 cup whipping cream (mixture will bubble up). Stir over low heat until caramel is smooth. Stir in half and half. Strain coffee-infused cream into caramel cream; discard coffee beans in strainer. Return cream to heat and bring to a near boil.

Beat yolks, salt, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl until thick and pale. Gradually whisk in cream mixture.

Cool in refrigerator, then process custard in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to another container. Freeze for 1-3 days before eating. Top with sliced almonds.

*Optional: Create three evenly spaced trenches in the ice cream. Pour 1 tablespoon of maple syrup into each. Lightly fold and swirl ice cream a couple times to work in maple syrup, while still leaving pockets of it throughout the ice cream. Syrup will mix with the flavors of the ice cream to create rich caramel flavored pockets.

Sweet Pepper and Cucumber Relish

This is the only relish I will ever eat. It's not even comparable to that green stuff in the store. It shouldn't even have the same name.

8 cups cucumbers, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
2 cups red sweet peppers, chopped
2 cups green sweet peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 cup pickling salt
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 chili peppers
4 cups sugar
4 cups vinegar

Combine the chopped vegetables and sprinkle with the turmeric. Dissolve salt in 8 cups of cool water and pour it over the vegetables. Let stand 3-4 hours and then drain. Cover vegetables w/ cool water and let stand for 1 hour. Drain.

Mix sugar and vinegar and heat to boiling. Pour the boiled mixture over the vegetables and add the other spices. Let stand 12-18 hours. Simmer until hot (don't let it cook, want it crispy). If too dry add more vinegar and bring to boil again. Pack into jars.

Garlic Chevre

What you will need:

1 heavy, non-aluminum pot or saucepan
2 quarts pasteurized or raw (not ultra-pasteurized) goat milk
1 tsp salt
1 clove finely minced garlic
1/8 tsp M4001 culture, a fairly common "farmhouse" or "chevre" culture
1/8 tsp. liquid vegetarian rennet or 1/8 rennet tablet, mixed or dissolved into 1 tablespoon water

If using pasteurized milk, you will also need 1/8 tsp calcium chloride

Cheesecloth, fine mesh sieve, or cheese mold*

Optional: Extra salt, fresh herbs, or other condiments for rolling (thyme, oregano, marjoram, mint, rosemary, lemon zest, chopped olives, sundried tomatoes, etc.)


Procedure: 

1. Add the milk to the pot and stir in salt and garlic. Heat to 86-90°F (this goes very quickly, be alert!)
2. Remove from the heat to stir in the culture, using 20 gentle strokes. Wait three minutes.
3. If necessary, add calcium chloride water. Stir.
4. Add rennet water, stir and cover. Let stand at room temperature (68-72˚F -ish) at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
5. Ladle the creamy curd (which looks like yogurt) into molds* on a draining rack, or a fine mesh sieve, or a cheesecloth-lined colander. Drain about 12 hours at room temperature. Remove whey and, if necessary, continue draining 12 hours. Depending on how creamy or hard you want your cheese, draining time will vary greatly. In the past, I have drained it for only a total of 24 hours and ended up with a very creamy, spreadable cheese. If drained for a total of 72 hours, the texture will be much more crumbly, like feta.
6. Unmold and place on draining rack and (optional) sprinkle with salt on all sides. If desired, dry cheeses on a bamboo mat or wire rack on a cookie sheet for 24 hours.
7. Roll in desired herbs or condiments. Wrap in cheese papers (waxed paper side in, shiny side out), or parchment paper, or simply tupperware or ziplock bags. Refrigerate and enjoy any time. Use any leftover whey to make fresh bread, preserve produce with lactic fermentation, or to boil pasta, veggies, etc.


MMMMMmmmmmm

* No need to buy a cheese mold. You can make a homemade cheese mold out of any number of household items. Old yogurt containers work well, as can an old plastic food-storage container. Avoid using reactive metals that may leach into the cheese. You'll need to punch or drill holes into your container if it doesn't already have some, so that liquid can drain from the cheese.  Crudely shaped holes cut with scissors can work if you are using an old yogurt container or similarly thin plastic. Holes should be placed at the bottom and sides of the container.

Rose Water Spiked Plum Sorbet

About 2 1/2 lbs. fresh juicy plums
1-1 1/2 cup sugar
1 banana (optional)
1/4-1/2 tsp rose water

This recipe completely depends on the ripeness and flavor of the plums, so use only the freshest, ripest plums you can find.

Using a sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth set over a saucepan, press juice and some pulp out of plums into the pan. Only pits and skin should be leftover-squeeze out as much good stuff as possible. If adding banana, mash it into the plum puree at this point. Banana will add sweetness, and offset any bitterness from the plums. Don't worry, if your plums are flavorful, the banana will not be a dominant flavor in the final product. Add sugar to taste, starting with 1/2 cup. The puree should retain it's tartness, but very sweet at the same time. Too little sugar will result in a solid frozen block of plum puree. The appropriate amount of sugar will create a fluffy, ice-cream-like texture.

Heat the plum puree until the sugar is fully dissolved and the edges start to foam. Avoid boiling, as it would change the fresh flavor of the fruit. Stir in rose water to taste, again starting with only a small amount. Rose water is stronger than you may think, and it should not overpower the flavor of the plums.

When satisfied with the puree, pour into ice cream maker and follow the directions of the ice cream maker to churn. Can be saved in freezer for up to two weeks, but may need a bit of thawing before serving if it has been stored in the freezer for more than 24 hours.

Twice Baked Sweet Potato with Leeks and Rosemary

Ingredients 

 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch-wide pieces 

 6 medium sweet potatoes (6–8 ounces each)

 6 leeks 

 1 tbsp garlic, minced 

 1 large egg

 1/4 cup cream

 2 tsp fresh rosemary

 1/2 tsp salt

 1/4 tsp garlic powder

 2-3 tbsp honey, warmed until liquid 

Preparation

Cook bacon in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until most of the fat is rendered and bacon is starting to crisp. Transfer bacon to a sieve set over a small bowl; reserve drippings. 

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°. Rub a liberal amount of reserved bacon drippings evenly over each potato. Place sweet potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast until tender, 45–55 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle. 

In 1 tablespoon of reserved bacon fat, saute leeks until soft. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in crumbled bacon. Remove from heat.

When potatoes are cool, scoop out insides and place in blender or food processor. Add 1 egg, 1/4 cup of cream, 2 tsp fresh rosemary, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Process until smooth and creamy. 

Rub potato skins with a couple tablespoons of honey.  Spoon or pipe filling back into skins. Top with bacon-leek mixture. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until potato filling is slightly puffy and leeks are crisp.

Cookie Granola

Melt:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
Beat in:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Add:
3 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 cups of any combination of the following:
         Dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, raisins, etc)
         Nuts (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, etc.)
         Chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or white chocolate
         Shredded coconut

Stir thoroughly, until everything is coated with the butter mixture.

Spread evenly over a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350˚ F for about 20 minutes. Bake ONLY UNTIL edges start to brown. The center of the mixture should still be soft. Remove from oven, and place directly in freezer on hot pads for 10-15 minutes. This will make the soft center crisp, and cool the granola to a manageable temperature. When cool, pour into a sealable container for storage, or consume immediately.