I saw these Folios cheese wraps at Costco. This sounds like a commercial but I read on the package that they are 100% parmesan cheese so I thought they would be fun to play around with.
I made a cheese wrapped cheese steak with the partially cooked cheese slices.
I think it was pretty easy to prepare. The cheese slices are wrapped in parchment and then you bake them at 375 degrees F for 6 minutes. Let them cool and bend them in the shape you want and then fill them up.
Here’s the back of the package.
My husband wrapped eggs in cheese. (sorry I didn’t photo them)
He really liked the cheese steak!
I had fun cooking with the cheese wrap. Maybe you can too!
I was inspired to make this dish when I saw a photo of chef James Oakley’s Kombu Cured Salmon, Cucumber and Crisp Quinoa on Twitter. It was one of the most stunning plates that I’ve ever seen and it sounded so delicious that I had to give it a try. His restaurant is in Hong Kong so it’s too far for me to try it since I’m on the other side of the world in Phoenix Arizona. I didn’t know how to cure salmon with kombu so I looked it up. I found three different methods. I picked Bon Appetit’s method because it made the most sense to me. Along the way I had some problems getting the correct ingredients. I thought I bought kombu ( a darker thicker seaweed) but I picked up seaweed. I couldn’t find yuzu so I did a mixed citrus instead that became my faux Yuzukoshō ( Japanese chili/yuzu condiment). Got lucky with the cucumber sauce. I don’t know how chef Oakley’s was made but I had an idea and it worked. ANYWAYS It came out FORKING INCREDIBLE! This recipe takes two days to prepare. It was difficult to photo the hot salmon that I was about to eat and for the photo forgot to add some faux Yuzukoshō on top of the salmon but some is pictured on the green cucumber sauce in the photo. The combination was delicious! I would make different chips next time. Either a fried radish chip or a potato chip. My idea of portion size may differ from your idea of portion size. I used one salmon steak…I think it was close to a pound. It made two large dinners. I guess it could have made three or four lunches.
Ingredients for around 2 servings
1 salmon steak (mine was close to a pound)
Seaweed to cover both sides of salmon (I used two sheets)
1 lemon cut in thin slices
2 Tablespoons mirin
1 Tablespoon white miso
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 hot pepper – ( I used a Serrano) – microplane
1 orange – just the zest
1 lemon – just the zest
1 lime – just the zest
fresh crushed sea salt to taste
1/2 lb Persian cucumbers – microplane
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch sea salt
1 Tablespoon tapioca starch (I used a spice mill to ground up tapioca pearls)
Directions
A layer of seaweed goes on both sides of your fish and you top that with lemon slices. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
Make the faux yuzukosho. Today or before you cook the fish combine the lemon, orange and lime zest with your microplane hot pepper. Add fresh crushed sea salt to taste. (refrigerate or put to the side if preparing just before the fish.
Make the glaze for the salmon. In a small bowl mix the mirin, miso and soy sauce together and brush on both sides of the salmon. Wash off the seaweed and throw out the lemons. Blot the fish dry. You can cook the salmon however you like. I slow cooked the salmon in a 225 degree oven about 15 minutes on one side and about 10 minutes on the other side and then I finished it under a high broiler for about 5 minutes. It came out medium-medium rare and really awesome…..that melt in you mouth kind of fish that you only get out only SOMETIMES in very expensive restaurants.
While you are cooking the fish add to a sauce pot the microplane cucumber, sugar, salt and ground tapioca on medium high heat…stirring constantly. In about 5 minutes the mixture will turn bright green and get smooth. When all the tapioca is cooked the mixture will be done.
Enjoy immediately.
Spread some cucumber sauce on the plate. Top the plate with salmon….then top the salmon with the faux Yuzukoshō. Serve with a few chips or crisps if desired.
Seaweed Cured Glazed Salmon with Mixed Citrus Kosho and Cucumber Sauce
A SPECIAL THANKS! To chef James Oakley for this inspiration and also a SPECIAL THANKS to Bon Appetit for their recipe of Kombu Cured Salmon with fresh Yuzu Kosho so I’d have an idea of what to do.
My favorite way to cook dark chicken parts is to make an easy delicious stew or soup. The chicken is always flavorful and tender and the stew always comes out delicious. You can make this with one tray ( 4 pounds or a little more) of either chicken leg quarters or chicken thighs that have bone and skin. The skin will not come out edible but gives great flavor to the dish. You must cook till the chicken is at least 165 degrees F to be safe to eat but I prefer my dark meat chicken to be at least 180 degrees F. You cook it to what you prefer. I got 6 dinners (small bowl with 4oz chicken) out of this but your portions might differ than mine. To make this a complete dinner or meal you might want to add rice or noodles or even spiral cut zucchini.
Ingredients for around 6 smaller portions
4 lbs leg quarters or thighs with skin and bone (one tray go for biggest tray they have)
1 can (13.5 oz) light coconut milk
1 large sweet onion chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 inch grated ginger
1 lime – just the fresh squeezed juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves (some tender stems are ok) – chopped
2 carrots – peeled – sliced
2 celery ribs – cut half long ways and sliced
13 garlic cloves – fine chopped
1 hot pepper (either dried and crumbled or fresh chopped fine)
1 Tablespoon course sea salt
1 Tablespoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
To a large baking dish or buffet 1/2 pan add the coconut milk, onion, bay leaves, turmeric, ginger, lime juice, cilantro, carrots, celery, fresh garlic, hot pepper and mix. On top of that add the chicken in an even layer. On top of the chicken in an even layer add the salt, granulated garlic and black pepper. Cover tightly with foil and put in pre-heated 350 degree F oven on the middle rack. This stays in the oven till the chicken is at least 165 degrees F to be safe to eat. I prefer my dark meat chicken to be cooked more than that and think it’s much better at 180 degrees F or even up to 200. Ovens do differ but in my oven this dish was perfect in 2 1/2 hours. Your timing may differ. When the dish is done I pull out the chicken and when it cools off (an hour latter) I separate the meat from the bone and skin. I chill the soup over night and scrape off the fat that rises to the top and warm up what I want the next day.
Forking East & Delicious Turmeric Ginger Chicken Soup
Here are a bunch of recipes from The Forking Truth that you might want to try for Thanksgiving. Up above is for a Southwest Style Thanksgiving. It’s Guacamole Style Beets. (this recipe will go up Wednesday) Here are around 50 Forking recipes to inspire you.
Duchess ParnipsBlue Cheese Sriracha Butter Hasselback Mini Potatoes with RadishTimbaleTomato, Hibiscus, Onion and Roasted Lime SaladBread Leek PuddingFestive Holiday Cranberry SauceCabbage Salad with Balsamic Roasted Strawberries, Apples and Almond Dukkah Thomas Keller’s Chocolate Bouchon made by meBrown Sugar Cinnamon Chestnuts with Crisp SageMoroccan Inspired CarrotsDuchess Inspired Kabocha SquashBraised Leeks with Onions Appleand Carrots in Apple Cider VelouteGordon Ramsey’s Clafoutis Cranberry Sauce with Hibiscus Sweet Potatoes with Cherry peppers, Figs, Green Onions and Balsamic DrizzleMashed Sweet Potatoes with Pecans, Dates and some Brown SugarTraditional Stuffing and Rosemary Herb StuffingFennel Fava Radish and Walnut Salad in Lemon Dijon DressingItalian Style Beans
Baby Eggplants stuffed with spicy Indian spiced onions, tomatoes, sprouts and cashews
Oven fried crispy turkey wings
Classic BouleCitrus Salad with Honey Poppy Seed Dressing and Spiced AlmondsForking Great Blue-Cheese, Sriracha, Honey Radish AppetizerMelon Salad with Preserved Lemon, Lavender and Whipped Cream CheeseButternut Squash Cinnamon BunSpaghetti Squash with Harissa Vinaigrette inspired from FnB Restaurant of Scottsdale AZTwice Cooked Gilfeather Rutabaga inspired from FNB RestaurantCrispy Turkey SkinPear Almond CakeAcorn Squash with Cranberry Mango Habanero Sauce and Blue CheeseChanterelle Bread StuffingDuchess Style Stuffed Potatoes Kabocha Squash Coconut Crust PieHatch Chili and Roasted Red Pepper Challah BreadOnion RollsKobocha Squash Ice-CreamPurple Sweet Potato Blackberry Pie with Coconut/Almond CrustBrussels Sprouts Baba GanoushSweet Potato Surprise Pie …..surprise it’s purple!Duchess Potatoes (The Special Occasion Potato)Cranberry Roselle Lime SauceBouchon Bakery Mini Coffee CakeTwisted Date BreadYellow Mango Frozen ConfectionKabocha Squash Cake with Drizzle and ChestnutsTunisian Inspired CarrotsSummer Vegetable Stuffed PeppersBraised Beets, Pickled Golden Raisins, Spiced Walnuts and MintForking BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies ever!South West Style Hatch Chile Corn FrittersSriracha Apricot Glazed Acorn Squash with Nectarines, Cherries and AlmondsFancy Schmancy Deviled EggsOne Ingredient Frozen Banana Confection with added cinnamon and crushed chocolate chipsItalian Style Slightly Spicy CauliflowerPlum Pomegranate and Pine Nut CakeZippy but Delicious Corn Bread StuffingMoist Fresh Herb Turkey StuffingTurkey StockThanksgiving Turkey MeatballsSousVide 140 degrees F with herbs salt and pepper and garlic confit
These One Pot Chicken Recipes leave you with ultra tender flavorful chicken and a very flavorful side dish. The chicken gets browned on both sides and the drippings are used to flavor everything. You MUST cook with a thermometer to test the doneness of the chicken. The chicken is safe to eat at 165 degrees F but I prefer my dark meat cooked between 180 – 200 degrees F. You cook it to where you like chicken best and until the rice is done. I also can’t tell you exactly how long it will take. Ovens to differ and pans do differ in thickness. For best results place pan in middle rack. I also note than when you cook chicken this way that the skin will not come out crispy. I do note that Persian Style Rice is often more yellow than I made it. Not always but often yellow coloring is added. Other times turmeric or more saffron than I used is added…..I think I used the right amount of saffron that taste good.
Ingredients for around 6 servings
4 lbs chicken quarters (3 or 4 large leg quarters)
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
granulated garlic to taste
1 lemon – slice off the rind and white stuff with a knife – chop uo the lemon into pea sized pieces – remove seeds
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cardamon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch saffron
1/2 c dried cherries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 Tablespoon vegetable soup base (less sodium than salt and more flavor)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup rice (basmati is traditional)
1 1/2 cup water
Directions
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Salt, pepper and use granulated garlic to season the chicken on both sides.
Brown the chicken on both sides. Either in a fry pan with a little oil or broil for about ten minutes on each side. The dripping go into a pot and put the chicken to the side. In the pot with the drippings add the garlic, lemon, cumin, cardamon, cinnamon, saffron, cherries, almonds soup base and black pepper on medium high heat for a couple minutes till the garlic looks cooked. Add the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling shut off and mix in the rice. Pour it in a large baking pan or a 1/2 pan and add the chicken. Cover well with foil and cook till the rice is done and the chicken is at least 165 degrees F. Check at 90 minutes. This dish may be done in around 90-120 minutes.
My favorite thing to cook lately are these EZ one pot chicken recipes. They are easy and delicious. You start by seasoning the chicken, then you brown up the chicken, use the drippings to infuse flavor to the vegetables. Add the chicken back to the pot (or pan) and finish in the oven all together this comes out FORKING SCRUMPTIOUS!…..Chicken quarters are also very cheap depending on where you shop….You should never pay more than .99cents a pound for chicken quarters. But I really like this way of cooking because the chicken always comes out moist and flavorful and delicious. With these dishes we don’t have to mess with sides of vegetables or other sides because everything is in the pot (or pan). The only bad issue is that the skin will never come out crisp enough to eat. The other thing that I should note is that oven timing will differ…….You will have to check the dish with a thermometer. You must get the rice cooked and the chicken must get to at least 165 degrees F. (but I prefer my dark meat chicken cooked more and I get it up to at least 180 – 200 degrees F. Unfortunately these are the most difficult dishes to photo. I waited till the dish was cold and the rice set up……really the rice comes out more soupy. This will be Forking Delicious and you and yours will love it.
Ingredients for about 6 servings
4 lbs chicken quarters (about 3 large quarters (seasoned with salt, pepper and granulated garlic)
kosher salt to taste – to season chicken on both sides
fresh ground black pepper to taste – to season on both sides
granulated garlic to taste – about twice the amount of the salt you used on both sides
1 large sweet onion chopped
2 stalks celery – chopped
2 carrots – peeled and chopped
4 oz mushrooms – sliced
1 red bell or a few red Fresnos -chopped
1 green bell or a green pepper with a little zip – chopped
13 garlic cloves – chopped well
1 Tablespoon soup base (instead of salt for less sodium and more flavor) use reduced sodium chicken or vegetable
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 oz fresh poultry herbs sage, thyme, rosemary (Smart and Final was selling them mixed together for $1.00 for 1 1/2 ounces) (leave them whole so you can pull them out when dish is ready to serve)
optional fennel fronds (I happened to have some leftover in my refrigerator so I threw them in)
2 cups water
1 cup arborio rice or regular long grain rice is fine here too!
Directions
Start by browning the seasoned chicken on both sides either in a fry pan or broil in the oven about 10 minutes on both sides. ( either way skin isn’t crisp enough and more chicken fits under broiler than in fry pan)
Next use the drippings for the sauce pot (put chicken to the side).
Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Get the sauce pot (if you have a very large oven proof pot use it here) on medium high heat and add the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, soup base, black pepper, bell peppers and mushrooms. Stir occasionally and cook till onions are soft. Then add water and bring to boil add rice mix and shut off heat.
If this is a large oven proof pot leave it…if not carefully transfer to a large pan (I used a half pan) Top with the fresh herbs. Top herbs with the browned chicken quarters and cover tightly with foil.
Leave in oven till rice is soft and chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F. (I like my dark chicken more done and I leave till at least 180 – 200 F) Ovens do differ….pans make the timing differ and the size of your leg quarter will differ……….and they differ even more if you have another pan in the oven… (be careful not to get yourself burnt from steam when you check your pan). Mine took around 105 minutes today.
It came out delicious!
Forking EZ One Pot Chicken Mushrooms and Rice
This was cold when I photoed and the rice really comes out more soupy…..BUT this does come out Forking Delicious!
It’s that time of year when maybe you need to bring a dessert to a holiday event. Here are not all but some of my most recommended recipes.
Thomas Keller’s Chocolate Bouchon made by meCinnamon Pumpkin Bread PuddingCannoli with fresh house made cheese fillingsBrown Sugar Cinnamon Chestnuts with Crisp SageGordon Ramsey’s Clafoutis Chocolate Pots de CremeCannoli BiscottiMelon Salad with Preserved Lemon, Lavender and Whipped Cream CheeseTomatio Jicama Fruit Salad with Tapioca and Lemon CreamButternut Squash Cinnamon BunWhite Nectarine Crostata Pear Almond CakeForking Adorable and DELICIOUS Mini Apple Pie BitesNigel Slater’s Extremely Moist Chocolate Beet Cake Simplified Kabocha Squash Pie with Coconut CrustSummer Time Lemon Verbena White Chocolate Chip CookiesSpicy Hatch Chili and Peach BrowniesPurple Sweet Potato Blackberry Pie with Coconut/Almond CrustBouchon Bakery Mini Coffee CakeTwisted Date BreadKabocha Squash Cake with Drizzle and ChestnutsNo Added Fat Banana Chocolate Chip Snack CakesPlum Pomegranate and Pine Nut CakeForking BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies ever! The Forking Truth
I accidentally made a creamy delicious feta like tasting cheese when I tried to make cheese out of boxed Trader Joes Whipping Cream.
I had 3 8oz. boxes of boxed Trader Joes Whipping Cream for the shelf and I wanted to make them into mascarpone cheese before they expired. (ricotta is made the same way but with the addition of whole milk.
I know that you need heavy cream for cheese making.
I know whipping cream is NOT what you are suppose to use for cheese making.
Unfortunately majority of grocery stores near where I live don’t sell heavy cream so I use whipping cream all the time without a problem until this time.
I had my cream and a pinch of salt at a slow boil let it go a little like I always do and kept adding lemon juice and noticed it wouldn’t curdle. Lemon Juice always makes the cream curdle something was wrong. As a last ditch effort I added some vinegar and it still wouldn’t curdle but it slightly thickened. I tried to save it and I drained the mixture over night.
I looked at it the next day and I got a cheese with a cream cheese like texture that taste like really good creamy fresh made feta you’d find at farmers markets or only taste at high end restaurants. Not at all like that supermarket crumbly cardboard like flat tasting feta. Somehow the extra lemon juice and the addition of white vinegar made the whipping cream taste like really good feta cheese.
It turns out that the boxed for-the-shelf cream has more carrageenan gum in it than refrigerated cream and is similar to manufacturing cream. Unfortunately when you purchase cream you have no idea how much carrageenan gum is in it. The less gum the better for cheese making. Manufacturing cream is much cheaper and made with more gum in it. Often but not always manufacturing cream is sold to restaurants and used to prepare creamy sauces because it doesn’t break from all the gum in it. After the fact I am guessing that is why this boxed cream had a good shelf life.
I know the cheese I made isn’t real feta but it taste just like fresh made feta so I’m calling it FORKING FETA even though it’s faux-feta.
FYI- Feta cheese is usually made from sheep’s milk and may contain up to 30% goat’s milk to be technical. There are also guidelines for measuring moisture content.
Well any way at home I had some leftover won ton skins, fresh dill and lemon.
So I laid out some won ton skins and filled a disposable pastry bag half way with the cheese mixture and twist the end.
Squirt out some cheese on each won ton skin
Top with a little fresh dill and a few caraway seeds to make the flavors POP!
Just wet the won ton ends with water and fold.
Squeeze out air and flatten filling
Boil in salted water a minute or two or until they float.
Top with a sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest, fresh ground sea salt and fresh ground black pepper and garnish with a small amount of fresh dill and SERVE RIGHT AWAY!
Fresh “Feta” Dill and Caraway Won Ton Raviolis
Now you have a masterpiece too! Well something that taste like a masterpiece anyway…..The raviolis come out with such a great flavors and that really perfect light as air ravioli texture. The won ton skins are so perfectly thin that you can only get by rollers from a machine without spending $200. for a KitchenAid roller attachment (to make your own). The cheese inside just sort of melts, kind of becomes the sauce for the ravioli in your mouth and is so umptiously good. Every thing together is so delicious. The caraway seeds add something special that makes the flavors pop. My husband tasted them and screamed, “THESE ARE FORKING GREAT!” but he really used the real “F” word this time.
This is something you might want to make either with your own fresh cheese or with fresh made creamy feta cheese. I note that store purchased feta will not taste good with this recipe.
Your Welcome!
These are FORKING GREAT and that’s The Forking Truth
On TV I saw Andrew Zimmern in Italy on the travel channel and they visited this little popular pizza place that makes these trendy pizzas that are 1/2 and 1/2 pizzas with the forking end rolled up into a calzone. The pizzas had very different dough than traditional American Pizza’s and had very thin cracker-like crust. I liked the novel idea of this forking kind of pizza.
This is the first time I didn’t make my own forking dough. But this dough I used was gluten free and was on sale for $1.00 so I said to my WTFork! It will be great for a cracker like dough and a little forking healthier too!
So I rolled it out very thin on a paddle with a little corn meal on both sides.
I decided I’d stuff the calzone side with spaghetti squash mixed with some home made sauce and some cheese
Then it got calzone shaped.
Then I slid the dough off onto a preheated oven stone at the suggested temperature for the dough (400 degrees) till the dough looked crispy and done. (about 15 minutes)
I smeared a tangy cow’s milk cheese called stracchino on one half.
Then topped that with arugula, a small amount of crushed almonds, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and shredded parmesan cheese.
The remaining half was based with roasted red pepper pesto and shaved fioro sardo hard cheese made from whole sheep’s milk cheese.
Pizza and Focaccia are not the same but you can start them out of the same dough. Pizza should be crispy and has toppings.
This is the forking pizza I made with the same dough. In a home oven you have to double bake the crust if you want crispness.
Focaccia is different when you put it together and should look like this when you top it. (minus the optional cheese) You should taste olive oil and salt in the focaccia dough but not all pizzas have olive oil in the dough. I use olive oil in the dough because I bake mine in a home oven. Neapolitan Pizzas do not have olive oil in the dough because they are cooked at much higher temperatures where the olive oil would burn.
After the olive oil indentations it really only needs salt, maybe some pepper and the most popular herb to add is rosemary.
It should be baked in a high oven and might look like this if you added extra untraditional toppings like I forking did.
