Thursday, July 14, 2011

Long Time, No Post

I haven't posted in a while - but I've definitely been cooking! Over the weekend, Nathan and I went to a bed & breakfast (The Inn at Meander) for "Weekends in the Kitchen" - which featured gourment meals and two wonderful cooking classes. In our classes we made everything from corn soup to pots de creme - and it was all delicious! We plan to use some of our new recipes this coming weekend!


Anyways, since we have been back - Nathan and I have started a new tradition. When we get home from work we like to sit on our back deck with a drink in hand and an easy, but delicious snack. This week we have alternated between crostini topped with goat cheese and fig preserve and sourdough crostini and sheepsmilk cheese dipped in an olive oil and herb blend. To make this, simply slice a baguette or french-style bread of your choice into about 1" pieces, brush with olive oil, and broil at 400 degrees until the bread is golden. Then top with the goat cheese (for option one) and put back in the oven for about 2-3 minutes for the cheese to get bubbly and melty (technical terms). Finally, drop on some fig preserve. For our second snack, the herb mixture was a little more complex - not hard to make, just lots of ingredients. However, once you make it, you can store it in a glass jar in the fridge, and whip it out whenever you want to impress your friends with a delicious snack. We like to serve ours with baguette and a good-quality hard cheese (we are currently using a peppered sheepsmilk cheese).


Olive Oil and Herb Dip
Adapted from food.com

For this recipe, if you use fresh herbs - they will need to be combined in a food processor to get to be the same size. I just used the ones from my spice rack, and they could just be combined with a spoon or whisk. 
  • 1 tablespoon minced basil 
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme 
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary 
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
  • 1/2 teaspoon olive oil 
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Directions:

Combine all of the dry ingredients (not the olive oil and lemon juice...yet)
Stir in oil and lemon juice
When ready to serve - mix with about 1 tsp of herbs to every 3 tbsp of olive oil

Tastes great on crusty breads, and drizzled over cheeses.

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