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!

NaBloPoMo- Challah And Apple Jelly

November 2, 2013 by Renee

There is nothing better than the smell of fresh bread wafting through the house. I’m pretty sure it’s one of those things that realtors use, like chocolate chip cookies and vanilla scented candles, to invoke subliminal emotions of family, warmth and a sense of home to prospective buyers. Never mind that the house only has one bathroom, I smell bread baking-sold!

I used to make challah every week. Everyone loves it when I do but it has been a while since I’ve made it. The weather has turned chilly here so I’m all too happy to keep the oven on throughout the day now. Inspired by a new cookbook I received to review about the art of making bread, I decided to revisit my old, trusted challah recipe first.

It’s quite simple and takes just a few minutes to prepare the dough. But it does take a good two hours for the dough to rise. While you could spend that time reading or sitting at the kitchen table having a cup of tea (in my dream life), I find that keeping on top of the ever growing pile of laundry takes precedence and this recipe gives me enough time to throw a load in, make the dough, switch the load, clean the kitchen, fold, braid, twist and bake the bread, put the laundry away and have a slice of freshly baked bread the minute it’s done.

A wonderful reward!

I made two loaves on Friday and one was devoured with dinner last night. The other I started late this afternoon with large melty pats of Beurre d’Isigny (a luxurious French butter) and a hefty spoonful of apple jelly (David Lebovitz’s divine recipe) that I made a few weeks ago after going apple picking. It was hard to only have two pieces!

My photos for the original challah recipe post are terrible-it’s one of my first recipes on the blog- and I had no idea what I was doing back then. Funny though, I was so caught up in the making of my dough and trying to make a tiny dent in the laundry that I actually didn’t shoot new ones yesterday as I intended. Ah well. These things happen.

I did remember today, though barely -the one photo at the top- taken with my iPhone- as I devoured a slice. One of these days I will reshoot the entire recipe.

The new book looks wonderful and I feel like I have the hang of baking bread back. So, I’ll mix my dough tomorrow night after I get home from a day trip to Philly and hopefully will get to bake it Monday. I am excited to see how it turns out. These I will take pictures of!

Day #2 NaBloPoMo