recipe ideas British Cheese Board
Torta di Ricotta (Ricotta Tart) By Antonio Carluccio The Italian chef says his countryfolk love ricotta –a by-product of cheese-making – but it must be really fresh. If there’s even a hint of sourness, the ricotta is off. SERVES 6-8
Ingredients
50g butter 3-4 sheets of filo pastry (frozen) 500g fresh ricotta cheese 120g caster sugar 5 eggs, separated 150g mix of orange and lemon zest, cut into small cubes Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 50g bitter chocolate, broken into small pieces
Duck Egg Salad with Dunsyre Blue By Mark Greenaway
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/Gas 4. Grease the inside of a 25cm flan tin with a little of the butter, melting the remainder in a pan over a low heat. Line the tin with the filo pastry, brushing each sheet with some of the melted butter. Put the ricotta in a bowl and loosen the texture with a fork. Mix in 100g of the sugar and the egg yolks, followed by the cubes of zest, the grated zest and the chocolate. Mix well together. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, then add the remaining sugar. Fold this carefully into the ricotta mixture using a large metal spoon, taking care not to lose the airiness of the whipped whites. Spread this filling onto the filo pastry on the base of the tin. Brush melted butter over the remaining sheet or sheets of filo. With scissors, cut ribbons of buttered filo pastry and spread these decoratively on the tart. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes and leave to cool before serving. From Antonio Carluccio: The Collection (Quadrille)
Mark Greenaway is one of the rising stars of Scottish cuisine and head chef of Edinburgh’s 3-AA-rosette Restaurant Mark Greenaway. The beauty of this salad, says Mark, is that it needs no dressing. The yolk of the soft boiled eggs and the refreshing pea purée act like dressings but without the need for oil, mayonnaise, butter or cream.
Ingredients
160g Dunsyre Blue cheese (4 generous slices) 16 roasted hazelnuts 300g fresh spring peas 50g fresh spring peas (keep raw to go through the salad) 2 duck eggs 1 frizzy lettuce or baby gem lettuce Salt Wild or fresh herbs of your choice
Sun-Dried Tomato & Smoked Garlic Chicken By The Victorian Kitchen Garlicky chutney enhances this recipe from Devon preserves maker The Victorian Kitchen. SERVES 4
Ingredients
4 boneless chicken breasts 100g Godminster Organic mature cheddar Victorian Kitchen sun-dried tomato & garlic chutney ½ cup breadcrumbs 1 egg Olive oil Salt & pepper 20
goodcheese 2012-13
Method
Boil duck eggs in salted water for 6 minutes and refresh in cold water to cool down. Once cool, peel and set aside. Bring 500mls of salted water to a rolling boil and drop in fresh peas, return to the boil and cook for 3 minutes. Then drain the peas, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Using some of the water you used to boil them, blend the peas at a high speed to achieve a fresh smooth purée, adding a little of the cooking water until you have the correct consistency. Pick and wash all lettuce and herbs well in clean cold water, then build the salad. Place a slice of the blue cheese at the bottom of your serving bowl. Top with duck egg cut in half lengthways. Dot some of the pea purée around the cheese and egg. Scatter the lettuce, hazelnuts, fresh herbs and reserved peas around the top of the egg. Serve individually as shown, or in a larger bowl in the middle of the table for a lovely spring or summer lunch.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C, and grease a baking dish with oil. Divide the cheese into four, then beat the egg for use later. Slice the chicken breasts lengthways to form a pocket, and fill each with two teaspoons of tomato & smoked garlic chutney. Add a slice of cheese in each pocket, then secure the chicken breasts with cocktail sticks and place in the baking dish. Brush each breast with the beaten egg & cover with breadcrumbs. Season with salt & pepper Place the chicken dish in the oven and bake for around 45-60 mins until the chicken is cooked and the breadcrumbs are brown. Serve with jacket potato and salad.
Baked Marrow Stuffed with Two Cheeses By Quickes Traditional This tasty vegetarian dish is suggested by multi-award-winning cheese-maker Quickes Traditional, based near Exeter in Devon. It makes a healthy, light meal. SERVES 4
Ingredients
100g Quickes Traditional mature cheddar, grated 50g Quickes Traditional Red Leicester, grated 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 2 celery sticks, trimmed and chopped 1 red or yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped 50g frozen sweetcorn 50g frozen peas 50g fresh breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or parsley Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 marrow, cut into 8 slices and deseeded
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Lightly grease a large baking dish or baking sheet with a teaspoon of the olive oil. Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan and sauté the onion, celery and pepper for 3-4 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat and stir in the sweetcorn and peas. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of the breadcrumbs, then stir the rest into the vegetables with the mature cheddar and chives or parsley. Season to taste. Arrange the marrow slices in the baking dish or on the baking sheet. Pack with the vegetable mixture, and sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs and grated Red Leicester. Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, removing the foil for the final 10 minutes to brown the tops. You can vary the vegetables used according to your own preference. Mushrooms also work really well.