Ubriacone Cheese and Ricotta Cheesecake

By Chef Lippe

Ubriacone is a traditional, Italian cheese made in northern Italy’s Veneto region. Affectionately called “drunken cheese”, it is bathed in gallons of red wine along with skins, seeds, and leftovers from the wine making process  to extract the unique sweet, delicate aroma of the wine and complex flavors.

An unpasteurized cow’s milk cheese, Ubriacone is matured for a minimum of 2 months but rarely for over a year. Upon maturity, it develops a soft and supple texture, which ages to become firmer and crumbly, similar to a Parmigianino. Seasonally produced, the best season to avail the cheese is from late fall through early summer. The cheese has a flowery aroma and smells of heavenly red wine.

I have added the sweetness of this wine flavored cheese to my favorite cheese cake recipe for a very addictive dessert that will have your guests begging for more!

Ingredients:

8 eggs

2 cups sugar

½ cup flour

½ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon pear extract

3 pound of ricotta

1 cup crumbled Ubriacone cheese

½ cup sweet wine such as Adytum Honey & Pear Mead

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs with a mixer until foamy. Add the sugar while beating eggs continuously with the mixer. Once the sugar is dissolved, beat in the flour, followed by the heavy cream, one by one, add in the pear extract, ricotta, Ubriacone and the wine.

Butter and flour a 9” springform pan. Pour in the mixture and sprinkle the top with cinnamon. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, check to see if done with a toothpick, Once toothpick comes out clean, shut off the oven and leave the cheesecake in there to settle for 10 to 15 minutes more.

Once cool (this will take a few hours), sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Balsamic Cheddar Soup in Pumpernickel Bread Bowl

By Chef Lippe

Before I moved to Florida I use to think it was funny to hear the weathermen say “it’s a chilly 65 degrees” but now that I have been here a while I know that yes even 65 can be chilly and today it is only going to get that warm all day! So today I am making my cheddar soup with this wonderful Balsamic cheddar cheese from Satori, it is sweet, nutty and fruity tasting that pairs well with porter beer and dark breads. Once you taste this you will crave it even on the hottest days!

Cheddar Soup
1 cup celery minced
1 cup carrots minced
1 1/2 cups onion minced
1 1/2 sticks (6oz) butter
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
3 cups Vegetable Broth
12 oz. smoked porter beer
3/4 cups milk
4 cups shredded Sartori Balsamic cheddar cheese
minced chives for garnish

1) In a skillet on Low/Med – cook carrots, onions and celery in butter until tender (about 15 minutes). Season with salt.
2) Add flour and mustard to the skillet and whisk until incorporated and smooth.
3) Add Veggie broth and beer, cook and stir until thickened.
4) Puree in a blender, then return to skillet.
5) Stir in milk and stir for about 6-10 minutes, then add cheese and cook/stir for about 10 mins. (Add more liquid as desired) *Can be frozen to heat and serve later*

Pumpernickel Bowl (in Bread Machine)
Place ingredients into bread machine in this order:
1 2/3 cups Water
2 1/3 cups Bread flour
1 cup Wheat Flour
1 cup Rye Flour
3 Tbls. Molasses
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbls. Vegetable oil
4 Tbls. Cornmeal
2 tsp. Instant Coffee
2 Tbls. Unsweetened Cocoa
2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

Turn Bread machine to Basic Dough setting. When dough is finished, remove, cut and measure dough into 3/4 oz. sizes. Using fingers push each dough piece into small round balls, and pinch together on the back side. On floured board, twist each ball seam side down to make a smooth bottom. Place each dough ball on a parchment lined baking sheet (about 2 inches a part), cover and let rise for about 1 hour. Glaze each dough ball by brushing with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbls. water). Bake in a preheated oven set on 350F for about 10 minutes.
Remove to cool on pan.

To prepare the “bowl”, snip off the top of each baked bread ball and using the kitchen shears, carefully, cut out a bit of the inside bread. Be careful to not cut through the bread.

The Bread bowls may be filled now, or freeze them for filling as needed.

TO FILL:

Pour the warmed soup into a squeeze bottle with a medium opening. Turn the squeeze bottle over each Bread Bowl and fill almost to the top with soup. Garnish with snipped chives.

These are easy to reheat in the oven, if your guests are late.

 

Lemon Risotto with Parmesan and Rosemary Asiago

By Chef Lippe

Asiago is one of my favorite cheeses to work with and this one from Wisconsin with Rosemary and Olive Oil is the best I have tasted, so I added it to my risotto with a little lemon and MAGIC happened!

Ingredients:

2 green onions/shallots

1 stalk celery

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 Tablespoons olive oil

1-1/3 cups risotto rice (preferably Arborio from Fratello Sole)

1 quart vegetable stock

1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 egg yolk

6 Tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan (I used ½ Parmesan and ½ Rosemary Asiago cheeses)

4 Tablespoon heavy cream

white pepper

Sea salt to taste

Directions.

In a mini food processor, finely chop the celery and green onions/shallots.

In a deep pot, heat half the butter, the olive oil, and the celery/shallot mixture until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.

Mix in the rice, stirring to coat the rice with the butter and oil.

In another saucepan, heat the stock and keep it warm and simmering.

Pour a ladleful of stock into the rice mixture and keep stirring until all stock is absorbed.

Add another ladle of stock, stir again.

Repeat this process until the rice is cooked to ‘al dente’.

Use your judgement with the stock — you may not need it all, or you may even have to add some hot water beyond 1 quart.

Mix the lemon zest into the risotto.

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk, lemon juice, Parmesan (and Asiago), cream and pepper.

When the risottos still has a little ‘bite’, remove it from the heat and add the bowl of lemon juice, egg, cheese mixture.

At this point, I also added the garlic.  Add the remaining half of the butter. Salt to taste.

Check your seasoning and make adjustments.

Saint Patrick’s Day Cheese!

By Chef Lippe

Special of the week… St Patrick’s Day Irish Cheese…Cheddar with Port wine or  Porter Beer or  Sage and we can’t forget the whisky soaked one! Oh how I love Saint Patrick’s Day!

Irish Cheddar Cheese with Porter Beer, Cahills Porter, is made by blending the cheddar curds with dark brown porter beer, resulting in a beautiful outstanding marbled cheese. The flavor of porter beer alone is rather strong, but in combination with the cheddar, the beer flavor is mellowed and the cheese flavor is deepened.

The cheese is made from pasteurized cow’s milk and a vegetable rennet is used, so an appropriate cheese for vegetarians. The entire wheels is dipped in a wash which makes cutting easier.

Imagine this cheese as part of your cheese board, a wonderful sight and also a great flavor addition. It goes without saying that this cheese pairs well with various beers.

 

Sage Derby is a cheddar type gourmet cheese made using leaf sage for flavor, and colored using chlorophyll (plant coloring) to give a green marbled finish. The finely chopped sage leaf gives a subtle extra flavor. Sage Derby is matured for around 12 weeks as per mild cheddar.

In the seventeenth century, the custom of adding sage to Derby cheese began. Sage was valued for its health-giving properties; it was good for the digestion and thus Sage Derby was born. Sage Derby was originally consumed at harvest time and Christmas.

Sage Derby, one of the oldest British gourmet cheeses and one of the original additive cheeses; is unique with the sage being added during the manufacturing process and not at a later stage. Certainly an interesting and colorful addition to any festive cheese board or buffet.

 

A Vintage Irish Cheddar mixed with Red Wine has a rich sharp taste with strong presence of wine. This gourmet cheese also has fine looks, the cheese is marbled with the red wine, resulting in a wonderful cheddar that will do justice to you cheeseboard.

 

Infused with the robust flavor of whiskey, this creamy Aged Cheddar now has unique undertones of the smooth, woody and nutty taste of pure Irish Whiskey. This tasty combination is the perfect compliment to your cheese platter and is also a wonderful gift item. It goes well on sandwiches, pasta and pairs well with dark Ales.

Visit our web site at www.fratellosole.net for our locations this week.