Kerrygold Skellig Sweet Cheddar and Apple Fritters Recipe

November 14, 2013 by Renee

Today I was tasked with creating a recipe using Kerrygold Skellig, a creamy, sweet Cheddar cheese. So many options went through my mind- baked potato soup with cheese, cheddar muffins, cheddar scones, cheddar pancakes, scalloped potatoes and many more. But I wanted something that felt more seasonal- Fall. Crisp. Warm and inviting.

We had some apples left over from our picking expedition and I’ve had apple pies made with cheddar cheese in the past, so I thought about a pie. Kerrygold Skellig is decidedly sweet with a very nutty, brown butter flavor. It’s not too sharp and is very creamy. I love it alone or on crackers and thought it would be a perfect match to apples. But then I began thinking bite sized and small. Donuts were my first thought, but no. Not quite. Then I thought about Fritters! And yes, that’s exactly the perfect choice! Sort of cake-like, yet fried balls and filled with apples, spices and oozing Kerrygold Skellig Cheddar Cheese. I could eat a dozen or so of these delightful Fall inspired morsels! And the whole house smells welcoming.

Kerrygold Skellig Sweet Cheddar and Apple Fritters Recipe

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

Sweet Cheddar and Apple Fritters - Goes terrific with a cup of coffee for a breakfast treat

Author: Renee

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cloves
1 egg
½ cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbs. butter, melted
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 cup Kerrygold Skellig Sweet Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Method

In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients- flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
In a small bowl, beat the egg, milk, vanilla extract and melted butter together. Slowly add to the dry ingredients mixing well so there are few lumps.
Add the diced apple and the cheese to the batter folding both ingredients in.
In a medium pot (3Qt.) add about 2" of vegetable oil over medium heat.
With a large spoon, table or soup sized, drop dollops of the batter into the oil. Don't overcrowd the pot! Work in batches. You may have to flip the fritters over to cook all sides evenly. When golden brown remove with a slotted spoon to a plate prepared with paper towels to drain the oil.
Once cooled a bit, you could create a glaze of powdered sugar and milk to drizzle over the tops of the fritters or just roll them in fine sugar to coat.
These are great with a cup of coffee or tea. And don't keep them too close, as you may just eat them all!

Look for Kerrygold Skellig Sweet Cheddar in stores near you!

Disclosure: I received Kerrygold Skellig Cheddar Cheese to create this recipe as part of a contest. I was not compensated in any way for this post but this is my entry to a contest where I can win a year’s supply of Kerrygold products and a Kitchen Kit. Fingers crossed!

Step by Step Raspberry Chocolate Ganache Tart Recipe (NaBloPoMo)

November 11, 2013 by Renee

Last week I went to a luncheon at The Daily Meal. Dorie Greenspan was there I had the ultimate pleasure of receiving accolades from her for my Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Tart. I could not be more thrilled! But truth be told, it’s one of those desserts that’s so incredibly easy that I almost feel guilty! It’s a been one of the staple desserts in my rotation for many a dinner party because of its ease and attractiveness.

The basic recipe is just 7 ingredients. But with the addition of the warm raspberry jam drizzled over the top, it becomes 8. If you happen to have the jam in your house, that’s great, but if not, I wouldn’t go out and buy it just for this recipe! It’s definitely optional and will not change the taste in any way. It just gives the raspberries a bit of a sheen and the chocolate shavings something more to stick to.

To try different variations, to the ganache you can replace the cinnamon and add cardamon and Grand Marnier (one of my favorites!). Or you can make it with vanilla and bourbon, or even Mexican Chili powder or a dash of sea salt. There are so many wonderful flavor combinations you can try to change this basic recipe and make it equally decadent and beautiful.

Raspberry Chocolate Ganache Tart

Ingredients

Crust

3 cups pecans
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter (melted)

Ganache

10.5oz chocolate bars (2 bars 60%, 1 bar 70% – good quality chocolate)
1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Topping

18oz raspberries (3- 6oz. packages fresh raspberries), Depending on the size of raspberries, you may need slightly more or less.

Topping (Optional)

1 heaped tablespoon seedless raspberry jam (heated until liquidy)

Method

Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor, add the pecans, dark brown sugar and the cinnamon. Pulse for about 10 seconds until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

Melt the butter and using the food processor feed tube, pour into the nut mixture while running. Once all the butter is added, pulse for another 5 seconds just to incorporate into the mixture. Your crust will be a damp, crumbly mixture that can be pressed easily into your tart pan.

Press the nut mixture into a 12″ fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Using your knuckle, press the mixture into the flutes and into the bottom around the edge to ensure an even crust.

Bake for 20 minutes or until crust feels firm. Let cool while preparing the ganache.

Ganache

Using a vegetable peeler shave some chocolate curls off of one of the bars of chocolate. Set aside and save.

Chop the remaining chocolate into small pieces.

Over medium-low heat add whipping cream and chopped chocolate to a heavy saucepan.

Whisking constantly, watch for the chocolate to begin to melt and then to become smooth. Continue whisking until the chocolate just begins to bubble and boil.

Once you see the first bubbles, remove the chocolate from the heat. Immediately pour into the prepared crust.

Refrigerate 1-2 hours until set. Can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated until right before use.

Topping

When ready to serve, arrange raspberries on top of the tart.

At this point you can melt a tablespoon of seedless raspberry jam and gently brush it over the raspberries. Add the reserved chocolate shavings, remove the tart from the ring and serve to wild applause!

I hope you love it just as much as I do! Enjoy!

Step by Step Raspberry Chocolate Ganache Tart Recipe (NaBloPoMo)

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Renee

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

Crust

3 cups pecans
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter (melted)

Ganache

24oz chocolate bars (2 bars 60%, 1 bar 70% good quality chocolate,)
1½ cup whipping cream

Topping

18oz raspberries (3 6oz. package fresh raspberries)
Topping (Optional)
1 heaped tablespoon seedless raspberry jam (heated until liquidy)

Method

Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a food processor, add the pecans, dark brown sugar and the cinnamon. Pulse for about 10 seconds until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
Melt the butter and using the food processor feed tube, pour into the nut mixture while running. Once all the butter is added, pulse for another 5 seconds just to incorporate into the mixture. Your crust will be a damp, crumbly mixture that can be pressed easily into your tart pan.
Press the nut mixture into a 12" fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Using your knuckle, press the mixture into the flutes and into the bottom around the edge to ensure an even crust.
Bake for 20 minutes or until crust feels firm. Let cool while preparing the ganache.

Ganache

Using a vegetable peeler shave some chocolate curls off of one of the bars of chocolate. Set aside and save. Chop the remaining chocolate into small pieces.
Over medium-low heat add whipping cream and chopped chocolate to a heavy saucepan. Whisking constantly, watch for the chocolate to begin to melt and then to become smooth. Continue whisking until the chocolate just begins to bubble and boil. Once you see the first bubbles, remove the chocolate from the heat. Immediately pour into the prepared crust.
Refrigerate 1-2 hours until set. Can be made a day ahead and refrigerated until right before use.

Topping

When ready to serve, arrange raspberries on top of the tart. At this point you can melt a tablespoon of seedless raspberry jam and gently brush it over the raspberries. Add the reserved chocolate shavings and serve!

Notes

The basic recipe is just 7 ingredients. But with the addition of the warm raspberry jam drizzled over the top, it becomes 8. If you happen to have the jam in your house, that's great, but if not, I wouldn't go out and buy it just for this recipe! It's definitely optional and will not change the taste in any way. It just gives the raspberries a bit of a sheen.

To try different variations, to the ganache you can add cardamon and Grand Marnier. Or you can make it with vanilla and bourbon, or even Mexican Chili powder or a dash of sea salt.

There are so many wonderful flavor combinations you can try to change this basic recipe and make it equally decadent!

Boca Negra Cake- Tuesdays with Dorie

February 19, 2013 by Renee

After the week I have had, and it’s only Tuesday mind you, I am thankful to have something so incredibly chocolatey and decadent to soothe my over-stressed mind and satiate my soul! I couldn’t bring myself to make last Friday’s Coeur à la Crème from the French Fridays with Dorie group. The heart shape and the Valentine’s Day theme just struck a raw nerve with me and I ended up returning the mold I had purchased to make it. Needless to say, I am not a fan of the holiday.

I almost did not make this cake too, as it’s lusciousness and opulence seemed like something only lovers could share on the most special of occasions, an anniversary or birthday dinner, perhaps. But I changed my mind and at the last minute went to find some good quality bittersweet chocolate.

Chocolate really does soothe the soul and this Boca Negra cake fits the bill perfectly! It’s dense and rich and oh, so good! Just what the Doctor ordered and maybe it’s the sugar rush or the bourbon, but one bite is all it takes to put a smile on even the most cynical among us.

I did encounter a few snafus when making this. Firstly, the recipe states that one should boil a mixture of bourbon and sugar and once its boiling to pour it over bits of bittersweet chocolate that you have broken up into a bowl. This part worked fine and the chocolate melted alright, but the next step was to mix in and melt two sticks of butter into this chocolate mixture. This proved nearly impossible as the chocolate had cooled down significantly and the butter just refused to melt. The chocolate was a big glob in the bowl. I ended up putting it over a double boiler and remelting the chocolate just to allow the butter to melt properly. Even after a good whisking, it finally came together only once the eggs were incorporated.

It was a thing of beauty going into the oven, only to emerge 30 minutes later with a center the consistency of jello. While it looked beautiful, had I sliced it then, I felt it would just have fallen into a puddle of chocolate goo onto the plate. So, back into the oven it went for ten more minutes. The end result was a cracked top which had puffed up so high that it needed to settle before I could complete the inversion onto the plate!

Next, because the cake was still quite warm when I was serving it, the creme (a wonderful mixture of heavy cream, bourbon and white chocolate-which tastes just like eggnog!) melted all over the top when I made my pre-photo decorative swirls.

All of that aside, it’s a very fast and easy cake to create….and no matter what it looked like or how far off it veered from what it should be like, it was sinfully delicious!

As with the French Fridays with Dorie group, I can’t reprint the recipe. But you can purchase the book here.

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