Hot Dish Review

Cheese (cheez) n. a solid food made from the pressed curds of milk. Sounds delish, no?

I’ve really gotten into cheese in the last few years. So many restaurants offer artisan cheese plates, sometimes as a starter, other times as an option for dessert. Anne and Clifford have always done it the best at Floataway and Baccanalia. Their astounding selection at Star Provisions allows them to introduce us to new artisan cheeses from the US and abroad. But it is the perfect pairings and accompaniments that bring out the flavor and texture of each cheese that are truly remarkable.

And so I’ve learned the basics…..manchego with membrillo (quince paste), gruyere or compte with honey, dried figs, and Marcona almonds, Humboldt Fog with kalamata olives, taleggio with Vidalia marmalade, any blue with pears and candied walnuts.

Clark Wolf has written a witty and informative book about American artisan cheeses, appropriately called American Cheeses. Read my review in Atlanta’s Finest Dining here.

I picked up some cave aged gruyere, cabrales, and taleggio at Whole Foods for a New Year’s Eve snack. The cabrales is a very pungent blue from Spain, and taleggio, from Italy, is one of my new favorites… semi-soft, creamy, and a little stinky. All three are made from unpasteurized cow’s milk.

They were out of baguettes but who cares, their bread is nothing special. I ended up getting a loaf of sourdough that I crisped in the oven and served it with sweet unsalted butter (I buy Lurpak from Denmark).

Why is good bread so hard to find in Atlanta? So frustrating! Tomorrow I am going to Bakeshop, Jonathan St. Hilaire’s new bakery/eatery, hopefully I will leave with a real French-style baguette and croissant too! I’ll keep you posted.

LG and I enjoyed my cheese presentation along with a bottle of red Lambrusco and half a bottle of d’Arenberg Stump Jump (yes, I didn’t drink the whole bottle!). Neighbors C & N stopped by as we tore into a rotisserie chicken, butternut squash, and braised red cabbage that LG salvaged after it scorched (good job!).

Then it was time for the requisite champagne. I like Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut when I’m pinching pennies, Veuve Cliquot when I’m not. It was a Gloria kind of year! A bar of Chocolove’s dark with cherries and almonds was a sweet end to the meal and my first bite in what promises to be an exciting year!

Happy New Year Hot Dish honeys!

Having recently had a little “procedure”, I’ve been stuck at the homestead all week, full of hydrocodone. Since my plum puff pastry project was such a success with the help of some valium I thought this would be a good time to roast some butternut squash and apples.

I had purchased pre-cut butternut squash at Trader Joe’s, having heard that cutting it was a perilous task. JJ, one of my colleagues, had made this recipe with pumpkin pie spice and it looked delicious! I made my own bastardized version with the addition of some onions and a few savory spices.

My kitchen smelled great and the flavor was subtly sweet and a bit spicy….the perfect Fall side dish! Here is my impromptu recipe:

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND APPLES

1 18 oz. container of cut up butternut squash
(note: I cut the pieces a bit smaller)
2 large apples, cut into cubes
1/2 cup Vidalia onion cut into large pieces
2 tbsp. olive oil
cinnamon
red pepper
curry powder
fresh black pepper
allspice

Toss the cut squash, apples and onion with oil in a shallow glass baking dish. Add spices to taste (I used only a dash of the curry) and roast for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I thought the texture of the apples didn’t quite hold up to that of the squash, might add them halfway through baking next time. This could be great with turkey for Thanksgiving with some dried cranberries and pecans tossed on top….yum!