Good Morning.
Most of us have cravings for certain kinds of food, notably chocolate, pasta, popcorn, ice cream, peanut butter, or maybe a big, juicy steak from time to time. My sense is that women are more vulnerable to these attacks than men, although my late husband was known to dive into the peanut butter with a spoon on occasion. There are millions who do the same thing although they'd never admit it. They sneak into the kitchen, looking over their shoulders to make sure nobody will see them as they dip into the miraculous stuff and hustle the jar back into the cupboard before they're caught. The same sort of underhandedness exists with popcorn that is dressed with an entire stick of melted butter or the large bag of M and Ms that is hidden in a purse, the console compartment of a vehicle, or even a bedside table for private indulgence.
Then there's the group of humans who love cheese and even more specifically, the humans whose palates tingle at the mere thought of a thick, chunky Roquefort dressing or a cracker topped with a bit of Stilton so strong that it brings tears to the eyes. Today's offerings are for the people who are helpless in the face of a beautiful Gorgonzola or a wedge of Maytag.
We begin with Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates.
1 pound bacon
1 pound pitted dates
4 ounces blue cheese
Cut the bacon slices in half. Cut the dates in half and split them open. Place a bit of cheese in the centers of the dates, close them up, wrap a half-slice of bacon around each, and secure with a wooden toothpick. Put them in a baking dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes in a 375 degree oven until the bacon is crisp. Turn the dates over halfway through the cooking. Serve with the beverage of choice.
Next we have a Spinach and Blue Cheese Salad.
8 cups baby spinach, stems removed, washed, and dried
2 red apples, cored, and chopped with the skin left on
1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup fried onions out of a can 1/2 cup olive oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
Dash of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Make a dressing of olive oil, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, salt and pepper. Place the spinach, apples, blue cheese, pecans and fried onions in a salad bowl and toss with the dressing just before serving.
Some people add sliced raw onions to this salad. I was trained early on by my daughter not to use raw onions in anything so
I substitute the fried item people put on the green bean casserole and actually like it better. Suit yourself.
For the protein we suggest Blue Cheese Pork Chops.
4 thick pork chops
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
3 tbsp. Grape Nuts cereal
2 tbsp. finely chopped green onion
Dash of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil plus a little more
2 cups dry white wine
Mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, cereal, green onions, and seasonings. Add the oil, mix well, and set aside. In a little more oil, saute the pork chops in a large skillet until browned. Add the wine, cover the pan and simmer for an hour until
tender. Remove the chops and place on a broiling pan. Spread the crumb mixture on the chops and place under the broiler for a minute or two until the crumbs are brown and the cheese is slightly melted. Serves four.
For a side we like Orzo with Tomatoes, Basil, and Blue.
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup orzo
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
12 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
Heat olive oil in a pan. Stir in the orzo and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly brown. Stir in the chopped onion, and cook until slightly soft, maybe three minutes. Add one garlic clove and cook for half a minute. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until the pasta is tender but al dente, maybe 12 or 13 minutes. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, half of the basil, the other garlic clove, and the rest of the olive oil. Spoon the cooked orzo into a serving bowl, top with the tomato mixture, and sprinkle with cheese and the rest of the basil.
And for dessert we have Apricot and Blue Cheese Squares.
1 cup boiling water
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted for a couple of minutes in a dry skillet
1 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 lightly beaten large egg
Combine 1 cup boiling water and dried apricots in a bowl and let stand for ten minutes. Drain in a colander over a bowl and reserve two tablespoons of the liquid, Place the apricots, the reserved liquid, walnuts, honey, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a food processor or blender and pulse until coarsely ground but not minced. Add the cheese and pulse a couple of times only.
Place one sheet of pastry on a work surface lightly dusted with flour and roll into a 12 inch square. Cut the dough into 2 1/2 inch squares. Place a teaspoon of apricot mixture on each square, bring the corners to the center and pinch closed. Repeat the process for the other pastry sheet and apricot mixture. Brush each square with beaten egg. Bake on two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. You will have a bunch of these squares. I'd supply each guest with several along with a ramekin of freshly whipped cream for dipping.
The choice is whether you serve maybe one blue cheese dish with other items or all of the blue cheese dishes together in a meal that would alarm any responsible physician. I would suggest being selective, but only you know if you are capable of such discretion.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
P.S. Substitute goat cheese in any of the recipes for a milder flavor.
* The original phrase, penned by English playwright William Congreve, was Musick has charms to soothe the savage breast, not beast.
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