Kitchen Conundrum

Kerrygold Skellig Sweet Cheddar and Apple Fritters Recipe

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Skellig and Apple FrittersToday 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
 
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Sweet Cheddar and Apple Fritters - Goes terrific with a cup of coffee for a breakfast treat
Author:
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
  1. In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients- flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
  2. 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.
  3. Add the diced apple and the cheese to the batter folding both ingredients in.
  4. In a medium pot (3Qt.) add about 2" of vegetable oil over medium heat.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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!

 

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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!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long and Slow Apples- French Fridays with Dorie

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Long Slow ApplesAs you know from my post yesterday, I just discovered what I had been missing for the past couple of years and how I am jumping in at the last minute to play French Fridays with Dorie where bloggers cook through her award-winning book, Around My French Table.

I am thrilled that my first assignment is dessert. Long and slow apples. This simple, elegant dessert has a very modest ingredient list, in sharp contrast to the lengthy baking time – four hours to be exact.

Slicing the apples as thinly as possible (with a mandoline or slicer) is the key to achieving the delicateness of this sweet, luscious dessert.

The apple slices are layered  in ramekins and brushed with melted butter and spiced sugar. They are then baked at a low heat for all those hours, yielding the most tender, juiciest, sweetest bites of velvety goodness.

Long and slow. The best things in life are worth the wait. And these apples are no exception.

Unfortunately, I cannot print the recipe- but you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. There are just three weeks of January recipes posted on the FFWD site and I am not sure how many, if any, recipes are left in their entire schedule. But, even after their regimen ends, I plan to keep on going and cook from the book and post on Fridays until I have completed them.  Or at least until the end of 2013. Consider it my resolution.

Buy the book:

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Quinoa, Apple, and Dried Cranberry Salad with Honey- Curry Vinaigrette

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Our curried quinoa salad is a variation on this recipe from Jennifer of Savor the Thyme. She was motivated to try something new from My Spice Sage, Goji Berries , for her December Progressive Party submission to Kitchen Play.

While we did not happen to have any Goji berries today, we did have dried cranberries and they added that sweet, chewy texture along with  the other zesty ingredients to our quinoa salad.

Here’s our take on this very easy, yet very tasty dish that would be perfect served as a salad or as a cold side dish. The vinaigrette is delicious and would make an excellent marinade for chicken or seafood as well.

 

Quinoa:

1 cup cooked quinoa

½ cup fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped fine

¼ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

1 small apple, diced

Vinaigrette (Makes about 1 cup):

½ cup canola oil

4 tbs. red wine vinegar

1 tbs. honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

½ lemon, zested

½ tsp. Dijon mustard

¼ tsp. garam masala

1 tsp. turmeric

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup lettuce leaves of your choice (we prefer baby mesculn)

Combine the quinoa, chopped spinach, dried cranberries, pine nuts, and the apple.  Set aside.

Wisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette until blended.

Combine the quinoa with the vinaigrette until it is well coated.

You can now serve it alone as a cold side dish, or top with lettuce and serve as a salad course.