Cheesey Goo

Here's the original as posted from Cariadoc and Elizabeth's web site (http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/miscellany_pdf/Miscellany.htm).

Savoury Tosted or Melted Cheese (Digby p. 228/177)

Cut pieces of quick, fat, rich, well tasted cheese, (as the best of Brye, Cheshire, &c. or sharp thick Cream-Cheese) into a dish of thick beaten melted Butter, that hath served for Sparages or the like, or pease, or other boiled Sallet, or ragout of meat, or gravy of Mutton: and, if you will, Chop some of the Asparages among it, or slices of Gambon of Bacon, or fresh-collops, or Onions, or Sibboulets [green onions], or Anchovis, and set all this to melt upon a Chafing-dish of Coals, and stir all well together, to Incorporate them; and when all is of an equal consistence, strew some gross White-Pepper on it, and eat it with tosts or crusts of White-bread. You may scorch it at the top with a hot Fire-Shovel.

Cariadoc & Elizabeth's Redaction
1/2 lb butter
1/8 lb Brie or other strongly flavored cheese
1/2 lb cream cheese
1/4 t white pepper
Melt the butter. Cut up the cheese and stir it into the butter over low heat. You will probably want to use a whisk to blend the two together and keep the sauce from separating (which it is very much inclined to do). When you have a uniform, creamy sauce you are done. You may serve it over asparagus or other vegetables, or over toast; if you want to brown the top, put it under the broiling unit in your stove for a minute or so. Experiment with some of the variations.
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Anne's Quick to Make Redaction of the Cheesey Goo for May Revel Pot Luck
1/2lb butter
1/2lb cream cheese
1 small plastic container of 100% brie, 5oz, no rind
White pepper to taste

Melt the butter. Dump in the cream cheese, and start whisking. It will become rather nasty looking as the cream cheese melts, and the curds in the cream cheese refuse to talk to the oils in the butter. Just keep whisking.

When the cream cheese has fully melted into curds, add the brie. Just keep whisking. Ignore the desire to lick the last of the brie out of the plastic container. Just keep whisking.

As soon as the brie melts into the cream cheese/butter mess, it will start to turn the consistency of a good fondue. Add pepper to taste. Serve ASAP.

The following was served at the Kate's Spring feast (my very first SCA event 2002)
Recipe from Vittoria:

Shîrâz bi-Buqûl

This is an excellent relish which both awakens and stimulates the appetite. Take mint, celery, and vegetable leek. Strip the leaves of the celery and mint, chop all fine with a knife, then pound in the mortar. Mix well with dried curds and sprinkle with salt to taste and fine-ground mustard. Garnish with coarse-chopped walnuts, and serve. If dried curds are not available, use instead coagulated milk from which the water has been strained [labneh], mix with a little sour milk, and serve. (Baghdad p. 12)

Plain Labneh: a soft cream-cheese made from yogurt, mixed with salt and drained of its water. Labneh is something no modern Middle Eastern kitchen is without, and I was delighted to find a period reference to it.

Mix two cups whole-milk yogurt with a teaspoon of salt. Pour this into a strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth, and let it drain (into a bowl or the sink) overnight.

2 tbsp. each fresh chopped mint and celery leaves
½ of a very small young leek, chopped finely (white part only)
½ tsp. dry mustard
Salt to taste
Chopped walnuts for garnish

Chop the herbs as fine as possible, then pound them in a mortar or pestle (or food processor). Mix these, and the mustard and salt, with the labneh. Place in a small bowl and sprinkle walnuts on top for garnish.

Enjoy!

-Vittoria

The absolute best spanish rice ever =) darn close to even being good for you ;)


Spanish Rice


Prep: 10 minutes   Cook: 25 minutes

1 medium onion quartered (big chunks)
1/2 cup chopped green or red sweet pepper(about 1)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp cooking oil(or veggie or chicken stock or water)
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
3/4 cup long grain rice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chili powder
Several dashes bottled hot pepper sauce
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup water
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

1. Slice sweet pepper and broil until skin blackens.  Put peppers in ziplock
bag for 15 minutes, then peel off skins.
2. In large skillet cook onion, sweet pepper, and garlic in hot
oil/stock/water until tender.
3. Stir in undrained tomatoes, uncooked rice, sugar, chili powder, hot pepper
sauce, black pepper, and water.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover; simmer
for 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is
absorbed.(If liquid absorbs before rice is tender add a little bit more
water).  If desired, sprinkle with cheese.  Makes about 5 cups(6 to 8
side-dish servings).

Nutrition Facts per serving:  145 cal., 3g total fat(0 g sta. fat), 0 mg
chol., 223 mg sodium, 27g. carbo., 2 g fiber, 3 g. pro.
Daily Values: 9% vit. A, 45% vit. C, 3% calcium, 13% iron.




Chocolate Mousse



3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 (12.3-ounce) package reduced-fat extra-firm tofu
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
fat-free whipped topping, thawed (optional)
Grated chocolate (optional)

1. Place chocolate and tofu in food processor or blender, and process 2
minutes or until smooth.
2. Place salt and egg whites in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at high
speed until stiff peaks form. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan;
bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until cand thermometer registers 238
degree F(hard ball). Pour the hot subar syrup in a thin stream over egg
whites, beating at hight speed. Gently stir one-fourth of meringue into the
tofu mixture; gently fold in remaining meringue. Spoon 1/2 cup mousse into
each of 8 (6-ounce) custard cups. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours.
Garnish with whipped topping and grated chocolate, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings.

CALORIES 147(34% from fat); FAT 5.6 g(sat 3.3g, mono 1.8g); PROTEIN 5.2g; CARB
22.5g; FIBER 0.2 g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 0.9gmg; SODIUM 134mg; CALC 26mg

The absolute best Cream of Tomato Soup you'll ever have:

Ingredients:

1 oz(2 Tbsp) butter
1 Tbsp diced Onion
1 14.5 oz can Chicken Broth
2 14.5 oz cans Diced Tomatoes
1 Tbsp sugar
1 pinch baking soda

2 Cups Heavy Cream or 1/2 & 1/2(did you know they make fat free 1/2 & 1/2)


Cook onion in butter until brown.  Add broth, tomatoes, sugar and baking soda. Stir together.  Cook at lowest setting on stovetop or 275 in oven or in crockpot for at least 2 hours.. 4 hours is better.  Stir occasionally and adjust heat to keep it from cooking too quickly.  (I think you can stop at this point and can it for use as a soup base or as a pasta sauce)

Heat cream in a double broiler(I suppose you could microwave it).  Add cream to tomato mixture.  Salt and pepper to taste.  For added richness add about 1 Tbsp of real butter to the bowl as you serve it.

Plum and Raspberry Upside-Down Cake

10 Tbsp(1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
6 medium plums, halved and pitted
1/2 pint raspberries
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Butter a round 8 1/2-inch-by-2 1/2-inch springform
pan; line with parchment(wax) paper.  Melt 2 tablespoons butter; pour into
pan.  Using a sieve, sprinkle light-brown sugar evenly over the melted butter.
 Arrange plum halves cut side down on top of the brown sugar.  Squeezing in as
many plums as possible to allow for shrinkage during baking.  Fill in the gaps
with raspberries; set aside.

2. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and
nutmeg; set aside.  In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,
cream the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and the sugar until light.  Beat in
the vanilla extract.  Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after
each addition.  Add half the flour mixture, and beat until combined.  Beat in
the sour cream.  Beat in the remaining flour mixture.

3. Spoon cake batter on top of plums and raspberries.  Spreading evenly with a
small spatula.  Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any juices;
transfer to the oven, and bake until a cake tester inserted into the cake
comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool, about 1
hour.  Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen cake.  Remove ring; invert
onto a serving plate.  Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Crab stuffed Avocado with Spicy Citrus-Mango Salad


Serves 4

2 avocados, ripe, cut in ½, pitted and scooped out
2 Tbs. minced chives
½ lbs. crab meat
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Citrus-Mango Salad
4 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 mango peeled and cut in small dice
2 red fresno chiles, seeded & minced
2 Tbs. minced red onion
2 Tbs. chopped chives
1 english cucumber, peeled and sliced in very thin circles
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. lime juice
1 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything in a bowl and season to taste. Let salad macerate for ½
hour.

Assembly:
Lay an avocado half on a cutting board cut-side down. With a very sharp and
thin knife slice the avocado across into very thin and even slices. Take an 8"
long piece of plastic wrap and lay it flat on the board and carefully transfer
the avocado to the center of the plastic. With another piece of plastic on
top, gently press down on the avocado causing it to fan out evenly. Remove
the top piece of plastic and place 2 oz. of the crab mixture in the middle of
the avocado fan. Lift the corners of the plastic wrap to the center above the
crab causing the slices of avocado to wrap around the crab. Lift it off the
cutting board and using your hands, form the avocado into a ball around the
crab and twist it into tight ball. Set in the refrigerator until serving.

Plating
Using the cucumber slices make a circles 3" in diameter in the center of each
plate.
Place a mound of the citrus-mango salad in the middle of the circles.
Carefully remove the plastic wrap from each avocado ball and place on top of
the citrus salads. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette and juices from the salad
over and around the avocado and cucumber slices. Lightly sprinkle with fine
sea salt and garnish with chive flower petals.






Dead Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c peanut butter
1 c sugar
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together. Roll each teaspoonful into a ball. Put the balls on the cookie sheet and take a fork to make criss-cross designs. Bake at 350 degrees 10-14 minutes.

It just seems wrong to make cookies with no flour. These are very good. Delicate peanut butter cookies. I found that if you make them as drop cookies and then bake them for 10 mins, it's easier to mark them with a clean dry fork.
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JOE'S MAC & CHEESE "BIG-TIME"
 
Mac & Cheese is the ultimate comfort food, and if you didn't grow up with it then I'm very sorry for you. Here's my "BIG-TIME" version of the all time classic. 
 
 
GATHER UP & GET READY:
medium sauce pan
large pasta boiler (big stock pots work best)
collander
3-qt oblong pyrex dish (this square-ish shape provides the best "crunchy corners")
wire whisk
big wooden spoon
 
cheese (self-grated): 
6 oz extra-sharp cheddar 
6 oz gruyere 
9 oz parmigiano-reggiano
 
pasta: 1lb elbow macaroni
 
1 stick of salted butter
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 oz Texas Pete hotsauce (or your favorite Lousiana-style vinagar based hotsauce)
1 tsp fresh basil (not dried)
1 tsp fresh oregano (not dried)
1/2 tsp minced garlic 
1/2 tsp minced ginger
and kosher salt & pepper grinder always at the ready 
 
GET READY:
- grate the cheese, mixing all but 5 oz of the parm, toss to combine in a large bowl
- take about 1 oz of the parm and mix with the breadcrumbs into a small bowl
- start boiling a gallon of water in the pasta boiler
- preheat oven to 350 
 
 
THE 2 STAGES: The Cheese Sauce & Pasta, then The Build & Bake.
 
STAGE 1. 
The Cheese Sauce & Pasta
 
Over low heat in the sauce pan, melt down half the stick of butter. While whisking constantly, slowly add the flour a few teaspoons at a time, and then cook while whisking constantly for a few minutes. Turn up the heat to medium and slowly whisk in the heavy cream little by little, and cook for about 5 minutes while whisking frequently. 
 
Remove from burner and season with salt/pepper, oregano/basil, hotsauce, then mix in the remaining 4 oz of the grated parm' until the combination is smooth. Cover and set aside.
 
Salt the boiling water w/ a tablespoon of salt, then slowly stir in the elbow macaroni. Bring back to a boil and let cook for about 5 minutes, then drain in collander and return to the pot. Throw in a couple tablespoons of butter and the minced garlic and ginger, mix till the butter is melted... and then add the cheese sauce until mixed well.
 
 
STAGE 2.
The Big Build & Bake
 
With the remaining butter, grease up the bottom & walls of the pyrex. Start by adding a thin layer of the pasta, then a layer of cheese, then repeat until everything has been used. Try to portion each layer equally, about a quarter at a time. Finish by dusting the top with the parm/breadcrumbs. 
 
Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is brown n bubbly. Remove and let cool for about 10-15 minutes.
 
Serves 8, or 1 depending on if your a freak like me.