Last year around the holidays, I made homemade cheese spreads for the first time - a basic Cheddar Cheese Spread and then a fantastic nutty cheese spread that was inspired by French Onion soup and the store bought Swiss Almond spreads - my Swiss-Almond Cheese Spread with Caramelized Onions. We ate the hell out of them.
This year, I was thinking about a southern classic, Pimiento Cheese Spread...but traditionally, the spread is simply made with cheese, mayo and pimientos. I really like using cream cheese because I wanted it more like a cracker dip than a sandwich spread. I also wanted to boost it up a little with flavour, so I added a lot more than what the traditional spread has - garlic, Worcestershire, jalapeño, wine, etc. It's not hot or spicy at all... so even if you shy away from jalapeños, I say add 'em to this recipe. It just adds a little depth to the spread - more layers of flavour.
So if you're trying to come up with some appetizers to make and/or take to a New Year's party, this is a pretty easy and great one!
I think the Descendents said what we were all thinking. -jen
*I recommend at least half of your shredded cheese being sharp cheddar, and the other half could be any combination of Monterey Jack, Havarti, Gruyere, Gouda, Parmesan, etc. I used what I had, which was some Gouda, Havarti Dill, and Pecorino Romano.
Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth and combined. Refrigerate (but I always have to eat some immediately. The flavours marry nicely if you give it a little time to refrigerate though.)
Serve with crackers or raw veggies, make a grilled cheese with some spread inside, use as a sandwich spread - eat it how you want! It'd probably be good mixed in with some pasta (though I've not tried that!)
For years now, when we've wanted an Asian dressing, we've just thrown some crap together. Some have been good, some have been not-so-good, but we never wrote down what we did. So a little while ago, I decided I was going to get myself a solid recipe that I could make that would be consistently awesome every time. Bam! Here it is! I love this dressing! We use it for all kinds of things: green leaf salads with some cucumber, shredded carrot, green onions and cashews; marinade for chicken or pork (but only marinate it for a few hours or the vinegar and lime juice will "cook" the meat and make it kind of mealy); sometimes we'll toss some veggies like broccoli, onions, bell peppers and zucchini with it and then roast them; made a Thai-style 4-bean salad with it. Very diverse. Very yummy.
I was in an Elvis mood the other day (because I love Elvis)... but then I remembered U.S. Bombs' "Rocks in Memphis" and had to listen to it again. You think Lisa Marie has even heard this song? -jen
ASIAN SALAD DRESSING AND MARINADE Time: all of like... 5 minutes, maybe, if you measure slowly Difficulty: Easy Makes: 1.5 cups
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons hoisen
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
juice and zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon hot mustard (or any mustard)
dash of sriracha (or more, if you want it spicy)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 cup canola (or vegetable) oil
Combine all ingredients together in a blender and blend for a few seconds! You can store this in your refrigerator for a few weeks at least. It should emulsify pretty well, so there shouldn't be much separation. Just give it a quick shake before use!
Jen and I love to try our own BBQ sauces and whatnot as it gives us a chance to learn how to make something we love and it let's us tailor them to our specific likes. I've played around with a few different "styles" of BBQ and have always had a fondness for fruit sauces that have heat! I've done some lime chipotle, a few blackberry ones, a blueberry, as well as various vinegar bases and tomato bases, different types of booze to flavor them, and fresh vs dried/powdered ingredients. This time, I felt like trying to recreate a Raspberry Chipotle that I had years ago. It came out sweet and smokey with a long slow burn that isn't too strong at all. Exactly what I was going for!
In addition to BBQ sauce, I recently tried my hand at a mustard dill sauce. There's a local company here that sells one that residents rave about and it seemed simple enough to mimic the flavors. It's sweet, sour, and has a strong herbiness to it that regular mustard doesn't have. Some folks don't dig curry (and I respect that) so just leave the seasonings out if you prefer something like a dill/honey/mustard sauce. This would go well on a sandwich, or on a bagel with cream cheese, in a wrap, in potato/egg/pasta salad, or whisk with a little olive oil for a quick salad dressing.
Lately, I've been listening to some hardcore punk, some gutter stuff, and some real garage sounding stuff. During this cooking session, I happened to be blasting some early AFI (whom I've always had a soft spot for because of my high school days and having grown up around various band members) back before they had developed their popular sound and style and thinking that they were absolutely the first punk performance I'd ever seen. I remember watching them in '93 at the small amphitheater in Low Gap Park and wondering if they'd ever make it big. Makes me feel glad to have heard them practicing in garages and playing high school parties and stuff back in my youth before they got so big. Anyway, so here's one of their songs off their first full album Answer That And Stay Fashionable called "Rizzo In The Box". - justin
Mustard Dill Sauce Time: 10 minutes Difficulty: A five year old could do it Makes: 1 3/4 cups sauce
1 cup yellow mustard (I used French's but feel free to use stoneground, dijon or whatever you desire)
3/4 cup honey or dark agave necter
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp lemongrass powder or ground coriander
Here's the tricky part. Just mix it all together. Store in the fridge or use right away.
Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce Time: 45min Difficulty: Medium Makes: Roughly a quart
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium shallot (1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
6 oz fresh raspberries
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp molasses
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp amaretto (or other booze if you like)
2 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tbsp Chipotles in Adobo, pureed
10 oz Raspberry preserves
salt and pepper to taste
In a large sauce pan heat oil over medium heat and add shallot, garlic and raspberry when hot. Sweat until shallot is translucent and raspberries break down, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add sugar, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, amaretto, mustard, chili powder, black pepper, allspice, tomato paste, and chipotles. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Add the raspberry preserves and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes, or until desired thickness is reached. Puree for a smooth consistency. Strain through a colander with small mesh if you don't like the seeds. Refrigerate.
