Monday, March 28, 2011
On an extremely beautiful mid-March Saturday, I had the privilege and the pleasure to load up in a van with a bunch of other local bloggers & foodies. We were headed up the road to Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese farm in Austin, KY. As I’ve mentioned before, while I’ve been living in Nashville for over 5 years, I was born & raised in Kentucky. A lot of people (Nashvillians included!) don’t realize how close Nashville is to Kentucky. It’s not uncommon at all to see Kentucky products sold at our local farmer’s markets. Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese is one in particular that especially caught my eye. From my very first encounter with them, right away I was drawn to the fact they were from Barren County, KY. You see, Barren County just happens to be the county The Fiance is from! Sometimes when we’re headed back that way we like to take the country roads instead of the interstate. While I have seen some beautiful landscape, including gorgeous northern California, I will always have a special love for the soft rolling hills of KY.
Once we arrived at the farm, we were treated to breakfast provided by Foxy Baking Co. Quiches made with Kenny’s Cheese!
We then donned hairnets and joined Kenny himself, as he explained the cheese making process, and how he got into making cheese.
While I may not remember every step of the process he explained to us, what I did impart, was Kenny’s passion & love for making cheese. It’s really meaningful to see someone who believes in & loves what they do for a living. That enthusiasm for cheese can be seen (and tasted) just by looking at the sheer amount of variety he creates! I can assure you every ounce of that cheese is made with love. And what does good love do over time? Well it gets better with age of course! Just check out all this delicious cheese aging.
It’s also apparent that Kenny cares about the environment. He doesn’t even waste an ounce of whey! Using the earth’s gravitational pull, the whey is drained off and repurposed.
This is called the cheddaring process. Doesn’t it look fun?
And what “city-folk-visit-the-country” field trip would be complete without a visit to the baby cows? Seeing as I grew up on a cattle farm, it’s not quite a novelty for me, but even I have to admit the calves were quite adorable.
Ahhh… the lovely smell of silage.
After all the touring, watching, and listening, all of us food bloggers worked up an appetite. Luckily, the kind folks at Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese were preparing a delicious spread of their cheeses for us to sample. Honestly, is there really anything as fun & exciting as having a spread of quality food laid out in front of you, and being told “Dig in! Tell us what you think.”
Holy.cow.wow.
Anyone who knows me in person knows that “favorite” is a word that is hard for me to use. To choose a favorite anything is always a hard decision for me, but especially when it comes to food. On this table alone, there were 3 varieties of bleu cheese. Not only could I not choose a favorite cheese on the table, I couldn’t even choose a favorite bleu cheese! And that’s coming from someone who thought they didn’t like bleu cheese. On this day, I found out not only do I like bleu cheese, I like all Kenny’s varieties! Each cheese had something about it that set it apart from the others. After nibbling on the brie, and loving the soft smooth texture, I was sure it was my favorite. But then I would sample the Kentucky Bleu again, and think it was my favorite. I would find myself making my way back over to the Kentucky Rose again and again. A lot of the other bloggers seemed to love the Norwood variety, so I’d try that one again to see if I agreed. I think you get the point. We loved the cheese! We loved it so much, we completely forgot there was lunch being prepared for us as well!
Invited along with us, were the guys from a soon-to-be-opened food truck called RiffsTruck. When asked what their food truck was going to be serving, they kept saying “street food”. And to be honest, I had no idea what it meant. But from my first glance at what they were preparing for us, I instantly knew it would be delicious. Clockwise from top left: Panzanella Salad with Cornbread Croutons, Kenny’s Farmhouse Bleu Gouda, and Bacon Vinaigrette; torching the Awe Brie to achieve the perfect melt; Pork Croustade w/Pear Chutney and Kenny’s Farmhouse Awe Brie alongside White Cheddar Grits; Salted Cod Cake to go atop the grits; the finished product being dolloped with Habanero Aioli; and Savory Bread Pudding with Kenny’s Farmhouse Cranberry Havarti & Tomato Basil Cheddar Cheeses topped w/Tomato Jam. (Special thanks to Beth’s post on Eat.Drink.Smile, because I was too busy snapping photos & eating to write down what each dish was.) I seriously cannot wait for you guys to open up shop truck! Follow them on Twitter to know when they’re up & operating!
All in all it was a PHENOMENAL day! If you’re lucky enough to live within a close radius to Austin, KY, I highly recommend you taking the drive out there. Especially all my Glasgow, Hart County, Bowling Green friends, you have no excuse to not experience the deliciousness that is Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheeses. And you just might be surprised to find Kenny’s Cheese is available in more than just Kentucky & Tennessee! Check out their list of locations to find some near you, or you can even order online!
To read the perspectives of the other bloggers that went, click these links:
Lindsay of Love & Olive Oil
Beth of Eat.Drink.Smile.
Amy at Fearless Homemaker
Vivek’s Epicurean Adventures
Leah of So How’s It Taste
Anna-Kate of La Aguacate
Heather of Gluten-Free Cat
To see more of my photos from the trip, check out my Facebook page.
And next up on my blog… a recipe featuring one of my purchases from the day: Aged White Cheddar with Cracked Peppercorn.
(PS. I feel the need to mention, I did NOT vignette this photo. I promise! But it sure looks like I did.)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Recently I was invited to participate in a health awareness campaign as a guest blogger. March is Colon Cancer Awareness month, which I had no idea until I was asked to contribute a colon-friendly recipe! Colon cancer is something I know very little about, so to prepare I checked out out the StopColonCancerNow website.
I discovered colon cancer is the second deadliest form of cancer in the US. What’s even more shocking, unlike breast cancer, which often has a hereditary link, 80 percent of those who are diagnosed with colon cancer have no family history or symptoms. So just because no one in your family has ever been affected, doesn’t mean you’re not at risk.
I’m hoping regular readers of my blog will notice most of the recipes I post (desserts aside!) focus on vegetables and healthy grains. Part of the reason I eat these types of foods are because I enjoy them, but another major reason is I enjoy knowing that I am filling my body with plenty of nutrient packed foods that will not only make me feel good when I eat them, but continue to nourish my body. So to discover that some of my favorite dishes, such as this Mediterranean Roasted Veggie Barley Salad already fulfill the “colon-friendly” checklist, that definitely makes me feel good!
Colon-Friendly Foods include:
• little or no animal foods
• whole grains
• fruits
• vegetables (like broccoli)
• mushrooms
• garlic, onions, leeks and chives
• black raspberries
• dry green tea leaves
The recipe I chose to contribute is this Kale, Squash, & White Bean Stew. This recipe was originally called “Winter Vegetable Soup”, but I didn’t want to lead people to believe you can only eat this in the winter! I actually used squash I still had from my last CSA box, and kale is still being sold at the local Farmer’s Market. Even if you’re not a CSA/Farmer’s market kind of person, then this soup will still be easy to make, as you can get these veggies at a conventional supermarket. This soup was delicious, & filling, and definitely not too heavy. Kale is a super food I’ve grown to really love the past year or two. It’s high in fiber & potassium, and low in sodium, which works great with your digestive system. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I’m not a vegetarian, but I really enjoy eating meat-free meals. This soup is another one I’m definitely adding to my repitoire.
To find out more about how you can prevent colon cancer pop on over to my post at Stop Colon Cancer Now!
Kale, Squash, & White Bean Stew
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 small acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 bunch kale ( 3/4 pound), ribs cut away and discarded, leaves torn
5 1/2 cups (43.5 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed
3 sprigs thyme
Grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)
Directions:
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Cook onion and garlic until fragrant, 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add squash and kale and cook until kale is wilted, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add broth, beans, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash and kale are tender, about 12 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper and serve with Parmesan, if desired.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Something happened last year. As The Fiance’s birthday was approaching in early March, I kept asking him what he wanted me to make him for his birthday. He firmly insisted that all he wanted was a batch of White Chocoloate Macadamia Nut Blondies. So, that’s what he got. And if I’m not mistaken, he ate practically the entire batch all by himself, and was quite content.
He wasn’t content too long, because later in the month he saw me make this for a friend’s birthday. Yes it’s the rich tasting, incredibly impressive looking, surprise-to-be-discovered inside, Red Velvet Cake with a layer of Cheesecake in the middle topped with Cream Cheese Frosting. That post has went on to be the most popular post on my blog to date, with 100 comments and counting. And it’s well deserved, as it is both delicious & beautiful. So, I think he was feeling a bit unloved, seeing as I didn’t make him a cake like that. Mind you, not because I don’t love him, but because HE DIDN’T WANT CAKE.
So, an entire year rolled around and he never forgot that. I’m pretty sure it was back in the fall he decided he wanted his own version of that cake, but wanted it to include chocolate & peanut butter. My first thought was to do a peanut butter cheesecake. But he firmly insisted he wanted REGULAR cheesecake. (And he thinks I’m the difficult one!)
I worried over how well the chocolate & peanut butter flavors would mesh with the tang of cheesecake. But in the end, with some specific selections & adaptions when it came to the frosting & cake recipes, as well as adapting the cheesecake layer to elimate the lemon zest & juice, the end result tasted FANTASTIC. I really wasn’t sure if it would reach the epic “OMG THIS IS SO FREAKING AMAZING” taste of the red velvet version, but it did! Oh man, it did. I think using a peanut butter frosting recipe that had cream cheese in it, really helped to mend the flavors together. It added just the teeniest touch of tang, and really complimented the cake & cheesecake.
I think this cake can appeal to a lot of people (especially if you’re a fan of chocolate + peanut butter!) And again, like I said in the Red Velvet post, this cake is not difficult, just a bit time consuming. But the steps in the process make it easy to spread out over a weekend or longer.
Now for some notes on the structure and assembly of this gorgeous cake. The assembly process is pretty much the same as in the red velvet version, but with a few minor changes. As before, I knew when I baked the cheesecake I wouldn’t be making a crust, so I lined the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Once baked, I let the cheesecake cool completely, then stored it in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning I removed the outer ring of the cheesecake pan, but left the bottom circle of the pan, and wrapped it in two layers of plastic wrap and two layers of aluminum foil and placed it in the freezer. When baking the cake layers, I used these Bake Even strips to help achieve a level, even cake. When I made the red velvet cake, I also used a cake leveler to level it perfectly once it had cooled, but found with this chocolate one, it wasn’t needed. So, when it came time to put the cheesecake in the middle, I took it out of the freezer, unwapped it from the foil and plastic. The metal bottom of the pan was easy to remove. Then I simply peeled off the parchment paper layer. It literally could not have been easier. The cheesecake never seemed like it would break, and was quite sturdy. I used the plastic wrap I had removed as a buffer between my hand and the cheesecake when transferring it, to keep the cheesecake from sticking to my warm hands. Depending on what size pans you used (8in vs 9in) the cheesecake may be too wide for the cake. If this is the case, just let it sit and soften for about 5-10 minutes, then cut the edges off with a knife.
Once the cheesecake layer is atop the chocolate layer, apply a thin layer of peanut butter frosting if you’d like. I decided to do this to help bring in the peanut butter flavor. An important tip, if you’re going to frost the cheesecake layer, you MUST do it while the cheesecake is still frozen! Otherwise it’ll smoosh around. Next up, layer the second chocolate cake layer, and apply the crumb coat. (A crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting you apply first to help keep the crumbs in. Then you set the cake in the refrigerator to chill before applying the cleaner, thicker second layer. A crumb coat is necessary when you have such a dark cake under paler frosting.) I found with the peanut butter frosting, it was a bit thicker than the cream cheese frosting from the red velvet version, and not as easy to spread. Because of this, it’s best to frost this cake while the cheesecake layer is in a semi-frozen state, because as the cheesecake softens, you’ll have to be careful to not “smoosh” it too much as you frost the edges. After some time in the fridge, apply the second, thicker layer of frosting.
If I’d had some chocolate bars to shave chocolate on top I would have, but all I had were chocolate chips. So I lined them up around the edges. This cake wasn’t frosted quite as pretty as the red velvet version, probably because the cream cheese frosting is easier to spread than this peanut butter frosting. Also, my original adaption of the peanut butter frosting didn’t quite produce enough frosting to be as generous as I would have liked, leading to a thinner frosted cake. I’ve adjusted the amounts in the frosting recipe, so you won’t run into the same problem.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cake
Ingredients:
CHEESECAKE:
1 1/4 pounds bar cream cheese (20 oz), room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
CAKE:
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large or large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
FROSTING:
8 ounces cream cheese
3 cups confectioners' sugar (more or less, depending on consistency, your preference)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (not natural)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy cream (more or less, depending on consistency, your preference)
Directions:
CHEESECAKE:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium until fluffy, scraping down side of bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract and salt. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down side of bowl after each addition. Beat in sour cream.
Cut parchment paper in a circle and line the bottom of the cheesecake pan. Wrap bottom half of pan in foil. Pour in filling; place in a roasting pan. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up side of springform. Bake until just set in center, about 45 minutes. Remove pan from water; let cool 20 minutes. Run a paring knife around edge; let cool completely. Cover; chill overnight, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.
CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
FROSTING:
Beat cream cheese and peanut butter with a mixer on medium speed. Add salt, then vanilla. Alternating, add confectioners' sugar and heavy cream until desired consistency is reached.
Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate until needed.
ASSEMBLY:
Place one layer of cake on cake stand. If desired, frost top with peanut butter frosting. Remove cheesecake from freezer, unwrap, and remove from metal bottom of the pan, then peel off parchment paper. Place cheesecake layer on top of the cake. If the cheesecake is wider than the cake, and it is necessary to to trim it, wait approximately 10 minutes for the cheesecake to soften, then trim it with a knife. Place top layer of cake on top of the cheesecake, and coat with a layer of the peanut butter frosting to act as the crumb coat. Be careful not to get any crumbs in the bowl of frosting! Refrigerate approximately 30 minutes, then frost with as much of the remaining frosting as necessary. Top with shaved chocolate, chocolate chips, or decoration of your choosing. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
To be perfectly honest, I’ve never really celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t get me wrong, I usually wear green that day, but that’s about it. So… you’re probably wondering, why in the heck am I posting a treat for a holiday I do minimal participation in? That is because, I baked these on February 14th. Valentine’s Day.
You see, I remembered how much The Fiance loved the previous time I made whoopie pies, and how much he had requested I make them again. And… I knew my friend Jessica had a recipe for red velvet whoopie pies, and they would be the perfect Valentine’s-y treat. So, come Valentine’s Day, I went to the neighborhood Kroger to get some red food coloring. They were out of the bottle of red. I asked the stock boy to check the back, still out. So I drove to Walmart, they were out. Drove to another Kroger, out. Tried Aldi, no food coloring; tried Dollar General (freaking love that store), nope; Family Dollar, nope; Rite Aid, nada. Everyone kept suggesting to buy the multipack and just use red. Except, I would need to buy 3 multipacks to have enough red. And I already had 2 multipacks at home, unused, except for the red. (I blame this cake.)
Then I had a stroke of genius. I am NOT the type of blogger that prepares treats in advance to post ahead of holidays. That’s just not my style. I blog things I make, period. And I make things when I have an occasion, or a craving, because that’s all I have time for! I realized, just like my other friend Erin showed “[insert color] Velvet Cake” doesn’t necessarily have to be red. And there was an upcoming holiday that focused on the color green! **cue angel chorus trumpeting my triumph**
So here ya go! Make these handheld little treats for a fun, festive way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! Or, just make them to use up whatever color food coloring you seem to have a surplus of. :)
And now a little verdict on taste. These were quite yummy, but a bit drier than the Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. Seeing as the pumpkin version is the only other whoopie pie I’ve had, I don’t have much to compare it to, and the pumpkin likely added quite a bit of moisture. But another reason these seemed dry could have been because I might have baked them a touch too long. Their dark color made it hard to tell when they were done! We still gobbled every last one of them up. And while these do need to be stored in the fridge, be SURE and let them sit at room temp for 15-20 min or so before consuming, because they taste MUCH better than when they are cold.
PS. Right now I am really wishing I could share the photo from my 5 year old dance recital when we had white tutus decorated with 4 leaf clovers. Because that would make this post even better. You better believe next time I visit my parents that photo will be scanned and share with the world.
[Insert color] Velvet Whoopie Pies
Ingredients:
CAKE:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1-oz. bottle red food coloring (2 Tbsp.) **Erin Tip: If you choose to make these green, 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp will be plenty, no need for 2 Tbsp.**
FILLING:
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
CAKE:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating after each addition just until combined. Stir in food coloring.
Spoon batter in 1- or 2-inch diameter rounds, about 1/2-inch high on prepared baking sheets, allowing 1 inch between each round.
Bake 7 to 9 minutes for 1-inch cookies or 9 to 11 minutes for 2-inch cookies, or until tops are set. Cool completely on baking sheets on rack. Remove cooled cookies from baking sheets and frost with favorite filling.
FILLING:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Be careful no to overbeat the filling, or it will lose structure.
Pipe filling in between onto bottom of one whoopie pie and sandwich between another whoopie pie. Store whoopie pies in fridge until ready to serve, then allow whoopie pies to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
These muffins are the result of another cafe copycat. Yes, I like to frequent as many (non-Starbucks) coffee shop/cafes in Nashville as I can, in case you haven’t noticed! Back in the fall, I met my good friend Tony at a local Nashville favorite, Fido, to sip coffee & catch up. As we were in line to order, my original plan was to just get my favorite drink (Milkbone latte, nonfat, no whip, made as a cappuccino instead, and yes I am that difficult). But in the pastry case a certain muffin flavor caught my eye. Nestled between the typical banana nut muffin, bran muffin, and chocolate muffin was a blueberry goat cheese muffin. My curiosity was instantly piqued, and I knew I had to get it. I was sure it would be good, as every cake/muffin/cookie/etc I’ve had from Fido in my numerous visits has been delicious, not to mention their made-to-order menu is pretty amazingly delicious too! Not long after my first bite I knew instantly I would be baking a version of these in my own kitchen. These were so good, I kept stopping what I was saying in conversation with Tony, to proclaim, “This is really good! Really really good!”
Now, I don’t want anyone wary of goat cheese to run from this recipe. The goat cheese flavor is only a mere essence. Honestly, if you weren’t told it was in there, you wouldn’t know. Besides, how often is sour cream used in baked goods? No one ever says anything baked with sour cream tastes like sour cream. The goat cheese is mainly used to moisten the muffin. If you know to look for the goat cheese, depending on how advanced your palate is, you could probably sense it. I’m really glad I finally got around to making the copycat version of the muffin I had at Fido. These were delicious!!
One last Nashville plug before the recipe, as you know I love local establishments and local products. So, when recreating the muffin I ate at Fido, my only choice for the goat cheese was a local company I already adore, Noble Springs. I’ve been turned onto their cheeses for a couple years now, and I’ve already raved about them in my Goat Cheese Stuffed Fig post in 2009. Every cheese I’ve bought from Noble Springs has been exceptionally delicious, and Dustin or whomever happens to be selling at the market, is always super nice, and excited about their cheeses.
Blueberry Goat Cheese Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups flour (I always use 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 white whole wheat)
2 cups blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup soft goat cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup blueberry puree
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, at room temperature
optional: demerara sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Grease or line 12 wells in a muffin tin. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix together butter, goat cheese, puree, egg and vanilla until blended. Add the dry ingredients. Mix the batter thoroughly (batter will be very thick) then fold in blueberries. Fill each well about 3/4 of the way and sprinkle with demerara sugar if using. Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs. Remove to rack and let cool at least 2 minutes before serving.
Nutritional Info per muffin (if yield is 20 muffins) Calories: 122; Fat: 4g; Sodium: 172mg; Carbohydrates: 19.4g; Dietary Fiber: 1.4g; Sugar: 9.5g; Protein: 3g
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