Figs with Blue Cheese, Honey and Pistachios – sounds strange right? Who knew this mish-mash of ingredients could actually come together nicely? But somehow it does. I saw this recipe somewhere once and knew it sounded so strange it had to be good. Best to use a really strong blue cheese though – like Roquefort – it accentuates the flavors of the other ingredients more than a light and bland taste blue cheese. So simple to make and makes for a presentable and unique appetizer or snack. Take one bite….strange…give it another shot…hmmm…delicious.

I didn’t measure out any of the ingredients, just halved the figs, layered them with some blue cheese, crushed pistachios and drizzled with honey.

This was the cheesecake I made for D for Valentine’s Day. We didn’t get each other gifts. I made him cheesecake. He got me flowers.  A fair trade I’d say. I’ve been making traditional cream cheese based cheesecakes for a while now so it was time to switch it up a bit. Crème Fraiche seemed like the perfect sophisticated addition to the traditional ingredients. And oh it was. In case you’re not familiar with it crème fraiche is a French soured cream – less sour than regular sour cream but with a higher fat content. It’s smoother, silkier and can be added to both savory and sweet recipes. In this cheesecake it paired perfectly with the dense heavy cream cheese and the slightly tangy goat cheese. The final result was nowhere near as dense as a NY Cheesecake, but still firm enough to hold its shape. With a blueberry lemon sauce this lighter softer cheesecake made for the perfect Valentine’s Day treat. Note – I used a 10 inch spring-form pan which is why the cheesecake was so short — if using a 9inch or smaller it will be significantly taller.

On a different note I was recently awarded the Liebster Blog Award (my first blog award!!) by T and Tea Cake (who takes some truly gorgeous food photos) which is meant to recognize food blogs with 200 followers or less.

These rules apply:

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.
3. Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.
4. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed.
5. Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog.

Thanks so much Tobias for taking the time to look through my blog and include it in your five! And thanks to everyone else who has been reading my ramblings and being patient with my hopefully improving food photography.

Here are the food blogs I’m passing this award on to:

Ruf Love – my co-worker’s food blog includes both savory and sweet recipes  (all with gorgeous food photos) and with updates and posts on her pregnancy.

The Veggie Logues - Mimi’s all vegetarian blog has some incredibly unique recipes with to die for photography (including step by step photos) and refreshing opening blurbs.

I Love Tortilla de Patatas – This blog calls to my study abroad days in Spain. With lots of Spanish recipes and insights into Spanish cooking it’s definitely worth a look.

Reservation For Two – A food blog aimed specifically at cooking for two there are some great dinner recipes, along with various weekly dinner menus with even a shopping list included!

Veg Hot Pot – A great source for both budget and diet friendly vegetarian meals.

And now for the cheesecake recipe.

Crème Fraiche Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping

Recipe Adapted from The Novice Chef

Serves: 16

Start to Finish: 1.5 – 2 hours (+ overnight in the fridge)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 packet graham crackers (usually 3 packets in a box)

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup brown sugar

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature

12 ounces creme fraiche, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 eggs, room temperature

for the blueberry sauce:

2 1/2 cups blueberries

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap spring form pan in 3 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. To create the crust, in a food processor pulse graham crackers, almonds, brown sugar and drizzle in the butter until combined. Pat the crust on the bottom and up the sides (optional) of the spring form pan. Bake 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees F.

2. Using a hand mixer beat the cream cheese and goat cheese until smooth. Add sugar and beat until smooth and no lumps. Add creme fraiche and vanilla, beating until combined.

3. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated (scrape down sides of the bowl if needed).

4. Pour mixture over the crust and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees F and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the cake is just set (will still be slightly wobbly in the center).

5. Let the cake cool at room temperature and refrigerate overnight.

6. To make the topping combine 1 1/2 cups blueberries, water, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a small saucepan. Over medium heat co0k 8-10 minutes, until berries burst. Add remaining blueberries and cook 6-8 minutes, or until mixture thickens to desired consistency.

7. To serve top cheesecake with blueberry topping and use a hot knife (run hottest tap water over knife, wipe it with a paper towel and make one cut, repeat for each cut) to create smooth slices.

I know it’s Valentine’s Day and therefore I probably should be posting a rich super decadent dessert recipe, but since it’s also the Daring Cooks posting date, that’s going to come first. I suppose I could post both recipes today – but I don’t think I’m at that stage yet (nor do I care for desserts so I’d definitely rather have this potato rosti than cake any day).

The mandatory component was to pan or shallow fry a patty and considering my love for potatoes there was no doubt that I was going to make rösti – essentially a large potato pancake, originating from Switzerland. Crispy on the outside yet nice and soft on the inside, this makes for the perfect mid-afternoon snack. To add more flavor to it I made a mushroom sauce — essentially just sauteed mushrooms and onions in butter and with few dollops of sour cream.

Potato Rosti with Mushroom Sauce

Recipe Adapted From Audux Artifex

Serves: 2-4

Start to Finish: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and grated

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 teaspoons black pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 small onion, diced

1 pint white mushrooms, thinly sliced

sour cream

fresh basil, slivered (optional)

Directions:

1. Using a cloth or paper towels wrap the grated potato up and squeeze out all of the liquid (potato starch).

2. In a large bowl combine grated potato, egg, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Mix until combined.

3. Heat a pan (cast iron is best) over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and wait for it to heat up.

4. Add half of potato mixture to pan and flatten it to make sure it’s even all around. Reduce heat to medium.

5. Cook for 8-10 minutes (checking at 6 minutes) on one side or until golden brown, and cook 6-8 minutes (adding more oil if necessary) on the other side (to flip rosti over – slide the rosti onto a plate first, then cover it with another plate, flip the two plates and then slide the uncooked side back onto the pan). Repeat with the other rosti.

6. For the mushroom sauce heat butter in a pan over medium heat and add diced onion. Cook for a few minutes, remove, and add sliced mushrooms to the pan. Cook mushrooms until starting to brown, add onions back to the pan, reduce heat to low, and add a few dollops of sour cream (to reach desired consistency).

7. Serve rosti with mushroom sauce and fresh slivered basil (optional).

I’ve been seeing all these kale recipes lately and decided it was finally time I give it a whirl. I had never tried it before, for some reason fearing it might taste like licorice (fennel), which I loathe. Thankfully it tastes nothing like it, and is actually pretty good. My first attempt was at kale chips – which weren’t too bad but I think they’d be better with the curly kale (as opposed to the fan like dinosaur kale I bought). So with the remainder I settled on this soup. Quick and easy to make, light, healthy and delicious.

Kale, White Bean and Tomato Soup

Recipe Adapted from Bev Cooks 

Serves: 2-4

Start to Finish: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

several dinosaur kale leaves, stem removed, sliced into ribbons

salt, pepper, to taste

1 tomato, grated

15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained

4-5 cups vegetable or chicken broth

optional – freshly grated/shaved Parmesan

Directions:

1. In a large pot heat oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook 3-4 minutes then add garlic and cook 1 minute.

2. Add kale, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes and cook 2-3 minutes.

4. Add chicken/vegetable broth and beans. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.  (Optional – serve with freshly shaved/grated Parmesan).

I do remember eating cauliflower when I was little. But it was always dredged in egg and flour and then sauteed in oil. Oh and then I dipped it in mayonnaise. I didn’t even know you could eat it raw with dip. It also has a funny name in Russian - цветная капуста- which directly translates to colorful cabbage – which isn’t exactly accurate – considering it’s just a bland creamy color. So when I grew up I was surprised to find out that there are oh so many other ways that cauliflower can be prepared. And this oven roasted way is my new favorite. Definitely healthy, full of flavor and simple to make. I do get tempted to dip this in mayonnaise, but so far I’ve resisted the urge. : )

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

Serves: 2

Start to Finish: 25-35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground corinader

salt

pepper

olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Add cut up cauliflower florets to a bowl and toss with spices.  Drizzle a little bit of olive oil and shake the bowl to make sure all florets are coated.

2. Place florets on baking sheet in a single layer . Cook 20-30 minutes or until cauliflower is slightly browned. Serve hot.

This daring bakers challenge has probably been the simplest one yet. Who knew that biscuits are apparently so quick and easy to make? Not me. I had never made them before and always assumed that if Pillsbury is selling them refrigerated and rolled up in a tennis ball like container – they must be time consuming to make. Nope. 30 minutes or less from start to finish. Especially if you’ve got a kitchen helper, like D, who will sift the dry ingredient while you grate the cheese and flour. I added freshly grated Parmesan, dry mustard and cayenne powder to spice them up a bit – next time I’ll add even more cheese – perhaps a smooth and nutty Gruyere…and some fresh basil….Hmmm….

Cheese Biscuits

Recipe Adapted from Audax Artifex

Start to Finish: 20-30 minutes

Makes: 5-7 biscuits

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder (make sure it’s fresh)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

2 tablespoons frozen grated butter

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

finely chopped fresh chives/parsley/basil (optional)

1/2 cup cold milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and sift 3 times. Add cheese, mustard powder and cayenne to the mix.

3. Using a pastry cutter or your hands combine butter and dry ingredients until it resembles coarse beach sand.

4. Add almost all of the milk and mix until a sticky dough forms – add the remaining milk if necessary (the wetter the dough the lighter the biscuits will be).

5. To achieve an even crumb to the dough very gently knead the dough 4-5 times on a lightly floured surface. To achieve a layered effect knead very gently once then fold and turn the dough 3-4 times until dough has formed a smooth texture.

6. Pat dough into a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle and use a biscuit cutter to stamp out (without twisting) the rounds. Combine scraps to stamp out the last biscuit. Or use a floured sharp knife to cut the dough into biscuits.

7. To have soft sided biscuits place the rounds just touching on a baking dish, or place them further apart to have crisp sided biscuits.

8. Bake in very hot oven 8-10 minutes until biscuits are well risen and lightly colored on top. Serve warm.

Baby bok choy is my new favorite vegetable. I can’t believe I only tried it for the first time a couple months ago. I’ve really been missing out these last 23 years. Aside from the fact that it’s just absolutely adorable to look at it also tastes delicious. It’s a great addition to soup, stir fry, or just sauteed on its own — just make sure not to over cook it – otherwise the leaves will get all wilted and sad.  I didn’t measure out any of the ingredients for this recipe – just a splash of this and that and it’s all you need for a light simple side dish (the perfect accompaniment to the steamed branzini).

Sauteed Baby Boy Choy with Sesame Seeds

Serves: 2 as a side dish

Start to Finish: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2-4 baby bok choy

1 clove garlic, minced

olive oil

soy sauce

sesame oil

sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Wash and cut the ends off the baby bok choy and then cut each bunch in half. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute and add bok choy.

2. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add a splash of sesame oil and soy sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

This is hands down my new favorite recipe. Thanks to my dad’s friend, who was appalled when he found out I don’t watch Marco Pierre White’s cooking demonstrations on youtube in my free time, I discovered this recipe. Truly impressive. And it’s not even that complex or time consuming. Except for the fact that it seems like the only place to find Branzini, also known as Mediterranean Sea Bass (not to be confused with Chilean Sea Bass) is Whole Foods. And sometimes when you get there it’s all gone! So the trek to Whole Foods and the $10.99/pound price tag might discourage some of you but I’m telling you, this dish is worth it. The tenderness of the fish is perfectly complemented with the soft Asian flavors and the slight bite of the ginger matchsticks and scallion strips. A flavor explosion in your mouth. Really. The fish bakes in a foil packet, sealing in all the flavors and taking in the pillowy bed of ginger slices and green onion stalks that have been placed beneath it. Don’t get freaked out because it’s not a fillet and the fish still has it’s head and tail intact. Thanks to the service at Whole Foods you don’t even need to gut it yourself – and that’s surely the scariest part. And I know it can be annoying to have to pick through the bones, sitting on edge, running the risk of choking on one with every bite. It’s worth it though.

The fish itself isn’t too big, weighs in around 1 pound – which I would say is a good portion size for 2 people – for a light meal. A side of lightly sauteed bok choy pairs perfectly (will be up shortly).

Foil Baked Branzini with Asian Flavors

Recipe Adapted from Marco Pierre White

Serves: 2

Start to Finish: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 whole Branzini (Mediterranean Sea Bass) (about 1 pound)

2-3 inch piece of ginger

5-6 green onions

4-5 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 tablespoons chicken broth

1-2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 jalapeno, chopped

small clump fresh cilantro, ripped into pieces

aluminum foil

white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice 1 inch piece of ginger into thin slices and the other piece into matchsticks. Slice the scallions along the diagonal into thin strips.

2. On a baking sheet place a large piece of aluminum foil. Lightly grease the middle area with olive oil and place some scallion strips topped with ginger slices across the middle section of the foil. Place fish on top of scallions/ginger. Lightly rub fish, inside and out with olive oil.  Fold the aluminum foil over, sealing one end shut. In the other end pour in a small amount of white wine – a couple tablespoons, and seal that end shut. Place fish in hot oven and bake for 20 minutes.

3. In the meantime prepare the sauce by combining ginger matchsticks, scallion thin strips, jalapeno, cilantro, soy sauce, chicken broth and olive oil. Taste the sauce and adjust quantities of chicken broth and olive oil to your liking.

4. When fish is cooked open up foil packet and pour some of the sauce (with toppings) over the fish. Serve with remaining sauce. Be careful not to eat the bones and skin!

Bread Sticks

Recipe Adapted from The Bad Girl’s Kitchen Blog 

Makes: 16-20 bread sticks

Start to Finish: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 1/2 cups flour

Toppings:

4 tablespo0ns melted butter

garlic powder

parsley, chopped

parmesan, grated

Directions:

1. In a large bowl/pot dissolve yeast in water. Added 2 tablespoons melted butter, sugar, salt, and 2 cups flour. Mix until combined then gradually add 1 1/2 cups flour. Continue to mix for 5 minutes.

2. Cover and let rest in a warm place for 50-60 minutes, punching down the dough every 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Roll the dough out 1/2 inch thick and using a pizza cutter slice the dough in half (horizontally) and then into strips.

4. Brush each strip with melted butter, sprinkle with cheese and spices and place seasoned side down on greased baking sheet. Repeat on the other side and with all remaining strips.

5. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly brown on top.

Another interesting daring cooks challenge. I had never made tamales before this, and had really only tried them a couple of times – when my college roommate K steamed her Trader Joe’s bought vegetarian tamales and shared them with me. Kind of a strange meal. Soft dough flattened in a corn husk, rolled up with filing inside and then steamed…how peculiar.

Well I was happy to try making them myself from scratch. Unfortunately Giant really let me down this time. First off I couldn’t buy the corn husks so had to resort to parchment paper. Then I had my heart set on the chicken tamales but Giant doesn’t carry tomatillos – a crucial ingredient. Well then I decided a jar of salsa verde was the next best thing.

Then my next mistake – I chopped up the cilantro and just threw it into the bowl of salsa verde, but apparently I was supposed to boil down the sauce first, before adding the cilantro – oops – guess that’s why we read the directions instead of just the ingredient list.

And I’ve heard that tamales are best made with lard – which seemed a little too adventurous for a Tuesday night, so I just went with an alternative – shortening. On the Daring Cooks forum a lot of bloggers mentioned that the tamles took closer to 2 hours to steam, instead of the 40 minutes stated in the recipe – and so I mentally prepared myself for a long wait. Surprisingly, my tamales were actually fully cooked and ready by the time the 40 minute timer beeped.

Then came time for the first bite. I was ready for the filing to taste strange and the dough consistency to be off, but it was actually all pretty good. Overall I was pleasantly surprised. With a dollop of salsa and sour cream, D and I had ourselves a mini Mexican fiesta.