Mrs. Child's Cheese Crackers

Southern Cheese Crackers

It’s no secret I LOVE cheese. So when a friend of mine told me about these cheese cracker, it was a no-brainer, I had to make them. The most surprising was, that it took me almost a month to do so.
These crackers a very addictive, and pair well with a cold beer or a nice glass of wine. If you’re not into the spiciness, then drop the cayenne.

Recipe by Robyn Stone.

Makes 40-60 crackers.

Ingredients:

• 200 g (2 cups) freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• 112 g (1 stick) salted butter, softened

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

• 60 g (½ cup) pecans, finely chopped

• 145 g (1½ cups) all-purpose flour

Directions:

Cream the butter with the grated cheese for about 3 minutes. Mix in the salt, cayenne, black pepper, and garlic powder. Add the flour a little at a time, stirring after each addition until the ingredients are well combined and a dough forms. If the dough seems a little dry, ad 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.

Shape the dough into two 1-inch (2½ cm) diameter logs. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap. Twist the ends and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃). Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the logs into ⅛-inch (⅓ cm) thick slices and place ¼-inch (1 cm) apart on the prepared sheet.

Bake until light golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. The crackers will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week. This is theoretical because they evaporate faster in my house.

I can recommend making some extra dough, and freeze it, for an easy snack for when you have guests.

Enjoy!

Lemon Lavender Cheesecake

Lemon Lavender Cheesecake

For the longest time I have been wanting to include lavender in a cake, and this is my first take. Well, I made exactly the same cake for 4th of July last year. But I learned that you can't pour the fairly warm lavender jelly onto a barely set cheesecake part, without getting a clouding of the jelly layer. So no pictures, and no blog post for that try. But the taste was great, so I knew I had to revisit this cake. The lemon and lavender is a really good combination, I think I have to explore this further in the future.

Makes 4 cakes.

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 200 g shortbread cookies
• 4 tablespoons melted butter, salted

Cheese filling:

• 225 g (8oz) cream cheese 
• 100 g sugar
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
• zest of 1 lemon
• 200 ml heavy whipping cream, whipped medium soft

Lavender jelly:

• 100 ml water
• 100 g sugar
• 2 teaspoon lavender flowers (dried or fresh)
• purple food coloring, optional
• 2 sheet gelatin (just under 4 g unflavored gelatin)

Directions:

Line serving-size cake rings with cake wrap/collar. 

Crust:

Crush the shortbread cookies, I used a food processor. Mix in the melted butter. In a medium bowl, mix together crumbs and melted butter until combined and crumbs are moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom of the cake ring using either your fingers or the bottom of a small glass to form a crust layer.

Cheese filing:

Whisk  the heavy whipping cream until medium soft peaks, set aside.

In another bowl whisk the cream cheese with the sugar until completely smooth. Add in vanilla paste, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Using a spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

Pipe the filling into cake rings and smooth the top. Cover the cakes and place them in the freezer for 30-45 minutes or until completely set, before pouring in the lavender jelly.

Lavender jelly:

Heat water, sugar and lavender in a saucepan, while stirring. When sugar has melted, turn off the heat and let sit to steep for 5-10 minutes. Drain the lavender from the syrup, so you have a clear syrup. Add a tiny amount of food coloring to the syrup. 

To make jelly. Let the gelatin bloom in some cold water for 10 minutes. (If using powder, follow the instructions on the package.) Heat the syrup and melt the gelatin in the syrup.
Pour the jelly on top of the cheesecake . You get the best result by pouring over the back of a spoon to avoid clouding the jelly with the cheesecake. Let the cakes set completely in the refrigerator before serving.

Enjoy!

Sommersalat - Summer Salad with Smoked Cheese

Sommersalat - Summer Salad with Smoked Cheese

This salad is summer. My mom made this fresh and crispy salad when the first radishes were big enough to harvest in our vegetable garden. Summer salad is made with a speciality cheese from the island of Funen, a smoked fresh cheese. Summer salad has a mild smoked flavor and is filled with fresh chrispy vegetables. 

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

Dressing:

• 100-150 g rygeost Danish smoked cheese 
• 100 g creme fraiche or sour cream
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• salt & pepper to taste

Filling:

• 10-12 medium radishes, quartered and sliced thinly
• ½ english cucumber, quartered and sliced thinly
• a good handful finely chopped chives

Directions:

Mix the dressing, seasoning it with salt, pepper and sugar. I like a mild dressing, with a distinctive smoke flavor. Add all the vegetables and serve the salad on a slice of Danish rye bread. Sprinkle with a little extra chives.

Enjoy!

Rygeost - Danish Smoked Cheese

Rygeost - Danish Smoked Cheese

Rygeost, Danish smoked cheese is a local tradition from the island of Funen or Fyn as it is called in Denmark. Rygeost is a smoked fresh cheese, so it is a soft, and fairly spreadable cheese. You can use the cheese on pizza, in mayonnaise based salads or with seafood. But more traditionally you will eat it as an open-faced sandwich on a slice of rye bread, with sliced radishes and chives on top.

Ingredients:

• 1 quart (1 L) organic whole milk, I used Saint Benoît Organic Whole Jersey Milk
• ¼ cup (1 dl) organic butter milk
• 3 drops rennet, I used Animal Rennet from New England Cheesemaking Supply Co.
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Equipment for smoking:

• 1 charcoal starter (chimney)
• 2-3 handfuls dry straw (if you have straws from oat or wheat, you will get the best favor)

Directions:

In a large pot heat whole milk and buttermilk to 26℃/79℉. Pour the mixture into a scalded plastic container, mix in the rennet and put a lid on. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for 21-24 hours.

After 21-24 hours, cut the coagulated milk (cheese curds) with a knife in small cubes, this will help releasing the whey from the curds.

Scoop the cheese curds into a strainer/colander lined with cheesecloth. Let the cheese drain for 2 hours before adding the salt. Let the cheese drain for another 5-7 hours. The fresh cheese will hold for 3-4 days in the refrigerator without adding anything else. The whey (liquid) can be used for baking bread.

Smoking:

Place the cheese in a strainer or on some kind of grate. Place the grate on top of a charcoal starter (chimney) filled with dry straws/hay. Light the hay from the bottom of the starter, and smoke the cheese for just about 60 seconds. The cheese is quickly flashed with the hay smoke to produce the unique flavor. Place the cheese upside-down on a plate with the smoke-lines up. Sprinkle with caraway seeds.

Serve the smoked cheese on a slice of Danish rye bread with sliced radishes and chives.

Enjoy!