By HUNTER HILL
When it comes to vacations, there are so many new things to experience. Many of my one-year favorites have been discovered between Christmas and New Year’s Eve at various meetings. People like to show up in company and put a little effort into snacks that seem to be prepared in such a cheerful and simple way. While some of these dishes are really a breeze, we all know that the braided sweets and custom cheesecake lollipops perfectly arranged on silver plates by Mrs. Smith were not the five-minute party snack that would make you believe.
No, not all holiday bites are created equal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun making them, even if they’re marginally harder to run than cheese and cookies or are semi-complicated like the ones fried marinades. Speaking of cheese, my wife and I are huge cheese lovers; with this label there are more than a few basic ideas for cheese snacks. For those who want to try something new or maybe something challenging, here are two of our favorite cheese-based snacks.
The first is the Baked Brie, a simple recipe that anyone who even remotely likes cheese should have on hand to take it out with a little pinch. This recipe needs less than half a dozen ingredients and no more than half an hour or so to prepare it. It’s a luxuriously decadent delight that melts before it even enters your mouth. For those who also like this profile of good and new taste, you can enjoy bourbon and walnuts that surpass this soft cheese wheel. (We like to use pecans instead of walnuts.) My wife likes to do this on a large ceramic tray; 9×11 ”works well for an eight-ounce Brie wheel. This way, you can serve the Brie on the tray and pour cookies or apple wedges around the outside to use as vehicles for the centerpiece and attractiveness of the dish.
Then you’ll see that I’ve shared two of our favorite fried cheese recipes. Yes, you heard me right: Deep. Fried. Cheese. If your mouth doesn’t water you now, we can’t be friends. That is, unless you let me take your portion of fried cheese, we may understand. This recipe is a great choice for the wonderful family of fried snacks. It is marginally more difficult to execute, but can be achieved even for a beginner if you have the right ingredients.
The first thing you may not have on hand is peanut oil. We went to the local grocery store and picked up a gallon specifically for this recipe. It is not tremendously expensive and is available at most major grocery stores. The beauty of fried cheese is that you don’t have to have a fryer. We have one and so we decided to use it, but you can still make these little treats with a cast iron skillet or even a high-end non-stick pan.
Again, there’s a little more preparation with this recipe, but again, it’s not too hard for anyone who wants to surprise the crowd this season. I wish you a cheesy new year. Happy cooking!
Brie in the oven
1 8 oz Brie wheel
Apples or cookies Granny Smith
Walnut bourbon crust
½ cup of chopped nuts (or pecans)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons bourbon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a measuring cup, combine flour, brown sugar, walnuts, butter and bourbon. Mix with a fork until a nice brown glaze is formed. Place the open Brie wheel in the center of a 9×11 ”tray and pour the mixture into it. Then put it in the oven for about 10 minutes until the enamel starts to bubble. Take it out and serve it with cookies or Granny Smith apple wedges. This is! Brie in the oven simple and delicious. For anyone serving minors, you may want to replace maple charcoal with bourbon. Beware of the sugar fever that is guaranteed to set in if they have more than a few bites.
Recipe courtesy of Food.com.
Spinach artichoke dip
I’ll admit that the artichoke spinach depot may not be the first on everyone’s holiday snack list, but mainly because most of those who say they don’t like it haven’t tried it. I remember spending this delicious bath for years when I attended Christmas on my wife’s family farm. I was a fool. I was a blind, tasteless fool. I let my aversion to green things prevent me from trying such a sweet, creamy bath. So for those of you who still avoid it because it has spinach or artichokes by name, I tell you, be careful in the wind and try it. I’ll tell you why I love this bathroom. The cheese. Look, if they threw cheese in the title and put the vegetables aside, plus guys would love it and never question the extra ingredients that make it what it is. My wife does it after her grandmother who always supplies it at the Christmas party on the farm. It’s a harder degree than Baked Brie’s, but it’s worth a little effort, and it’s not so hard that almost no one can execute it.
Start by mixing cream cheese at room temperature, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Roman cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Then fold the artichoke hearts and spinach to maintain its integrity. Then pour it into a plate of cakes and cover with mozzarella cheese.
Look, there are already four types of cheese in this thing.
Then cook for 25 minutes and it’s good to go. Serve hot with cookies and watch it disappear!
Spinach artichoke dip
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ cup of mayonnaise
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup of grated Roman cheese (if you can’t find it, you can use more Parmesan)
1 clove chopped garlic
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon of garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 can of 14 oz can artichoke, drained and chopped
½ cup of frozen, thawed and drained chopped spinach
¼ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a plate of cake or small kitchen. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Roman cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and place with mozzarella cheese. Bake in preheated oven until boiling and lightly browned.
Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com – Dip of Hot Artichoke and Spinach II
Fried cheese
Cut the two types of cheese into half-inch slices and place them on parchment paper in the freezer. This will make the cheese hold up well when you fry it later. Then you want to prepare your dredging station. Whether you make the recipe for fried mozzarella or goat cheese, you want to arrange the dredge in the same order: flour, egg, bread. We like to use Pyrex glass containers because they are then easily cleaned. When you have heated the oil, either in the fryer or in the frying pan, remove the cheese and use separate forks on each container, batter the cheese slices in the established order. Then place them directly in the fryer or on a rack where you can load them in the fryer at the same time.
Watch the cheese carefully. Turn it once about halfway through cooking, maybe a minute or so, and cook the other side until the cheese is golden. Using a fork or other utensil, remove the cheese from the fryer and place on the wire rack. We put some paper towels on a tray of sheets and then place a grid on top of it. This allows the oil to drain while the food does not adhere to the paper.
Fried mozzarella cheese
1 kilo of fresh mozzarella cheese. A registration with previous cuts is recommended
2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt (optional, I recommend leaving it out)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water (or beer or milk)
1 cup breadcrumbs panko
1 teaspoon dried oregano or basil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese + more to sprinkle
Cooking oil as needed (peanut oil)
Install a bread station; in the first bowl, mix flour, salt and pepper. In the second bowl, beat the eggs and water, in the third bowl mix the breadcrumbs, oregano and parmesan. Drag half-inch pieces of cheese into each bowl, in order. Place the prepared cheese on one side and heat the oil to 350 degrees. Fry the cheese for about 90 seconds on each side until golden. Remove and drain the excess oil, then serve with fresh Parmesan and basil.
Recipe courtesy of Craftbeering.com
Fried goat cheese
11 ounces goat cheese (normal goat)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs panko
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)
1 or
1/4 cup flour
Oil as needed (peanut oil)
Cut the goat cheese into half-inch slices and place on the parchment tray to freeze for 15 minutes. Combine panko, pecans, thyme, garlic powder, black pepper and salt in a bowl. Beat the egg in a separate bowl, place the flour in a separate bowl. Take the cheese out of the freezer and dip each piece in the flour and then the egg and finally the bread mixture, both sides so that the whole piece of cheese is covered. In a skillet, heat oil to about 375 degrees and fill to 1/4 inch deep. Carefully place the cheese in the oil and fry for about a minute until golden and then turn and repeat. Drain the excess oil and enjoy.
Recipe courtesy of JessicaGavin.com