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!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food Blog Camp! ¡HOLA! MÉXICO! Recap

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We have spent the last few days basking in the glory of what was Food Blog Camp 2011 held at the stunningly beautiful Grand Velas Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico.  Writing a recap means that it is really over and that we are back home and back to our daily grind. But the souvenirs we have returned with are far better than any sombrero or woven blanket. We have returned home with new friends, incredible knowledge imparted by our generous leaders and significant insight on how to make our little blog better.

We are exceedingly grateful to Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes,  Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen,  Todd Porter & Diane Cu of White On Rice Couple, David Lebovitz, Matt Armendariz of Matt Bites and Adam Pearson for sharing their personal stories and teaching us how to become better at our craft. The wisdom they shared transcends blogging and reaches across into everyday life.

Be nice. Be generous.

Have a focus. Be consistent. Tell a good story. Be authentic.

See the light. (It not only helps in real life, but in photography too! 🙂 )

We learned about SEO, business strategies and how to increase blog revenue. We learned about photography and food styling. We also learned more about our camera that we have owned for over a year yet barely understood.

We learned about writing and design. Which you will witness changes of first hand over the coming months here at KC. A whole new look and feel is under way.

We humbly thank each and every one of them. We love you all!!!!

We spent time precious time with each other. We made many new friends. We ate way too much good food.

We put our toes in the sand.

And it was good.

No.

It was great!

We also want to say “thank you” to the Grand Velas Resort for hosting our group. The staff at the resort catered to our every whim. They carried our plates to our tables, they refilled our glasses before they were empty.  They walked into the jungle with us when we wanted to take a walk after lunch so we would have security, they followed behind in a golf cart case we wanted a lift.  They laughed with us as we mangled Spanish, and they were genuinely nice.

The restaurants at the resort were amazing and each one specifically different. They were distinctive in their respective cuisines and boast some of the best chefs in Mexico and beyond. The buffets at Azul and Chaka were endless feasts and we could have spent many hours at each if we didn’t have other places to go.

The fine dining restaurants were splendid events in and of themselves.

The “Tri-Color Cream” soup (Castille Pumpkin, Tomato, Peas, Mushroom Duxelle Crocant Scented with Thyme Blossoms) and the “French Rack of Lamb” (Roasted with Sweet Grain Mustard and Herbs Au Provence) at Piaf should not be missed.

At Sen Lin, indulge in the “Okonomiyaki”, Chilean sea bass served in a sweet and sour guava garam masala and finish with the “Cardamom Puff”. A spiced deep chocolate molten cake with coconut ice cream. The very best dessert of the entire stay. It was divine.

Cocina de Autor, the signature restaurant at Grand Velas is a study in Gastronomica.  The food is beautiful, irreverent and most importantly, delectable and full of flavor. Favorite dishes of our evening there were the “Porrupatata Soup with a Touch of Smoke”, the “Foie with Fruit and Foam”, the “Beet color Venison” and “The Chocolate out of Place”.

We were honored to be granted an inside look into one of the resorts main kitchens and were given recipes and demonstrations by several of the resorts chefs, including, Chef Michel Mustiere, Chef Antonio Cortaza, Chef Daniel Garcia Gomez and Chef Xavier Perez Stone. (We will be atempting the Foie with Fruit and Foam soon!)

They let us photograph each of their moves and gave us their top secrets.

They also let us use them as models for photography lessons.

They were all naturals and didn’t seem to mind the paparazzi.

We would also like to thank Kerrygold for being a Food Blog Camp sponsor. Their golden Pure Irish Butter was the perfect compliment to the croissants we devoured during our stay.  Not only did they host a really fun photo contest for us to take part in, but several of our fellow food bloggers were able to attend the camp because of the generous scholarships they received from Kerrygold.

We are thrilled to be hosting a Kerrygold recipe contest here on KC in the very near future. Be sure to check back for details.

And so, it is not really with melancholy (despite the 10″ of snow outside) that we write our recap, but with wonderful memories, aspiration for the future and a wealth of information that we can not wait to put to good use.

Here is a little video of Food Blog Camp 2011. We hope it will put you in the mood for next year!

Here are some of the attendees blog links:  (Please let me know if I have missed anyone!)

Food Blogger Camp (Website)

Food Blogger Camp Photos (Flickr)