I spent the last couple of days in beautiful Payson, Arizona at the summer home of my dear friend and mentor, Barbara Fenzl, along with Kim Howard, who rounds out our “3 Amigos”.  Kim and I drove up on Tuesday morning and the three of us spent a wonderful day relaxing, catching up, and cooking together. Then early on Wednesday morning we hiked for about 90 minutes up and down the Horton Creek Trail before heading back for a yummy lunch at the Chaparral Pines Country Club (recipe to follow tomorrow for my take on their scrumptious Ahi Tuna Sliders!) Kim headed back down to the Valley after lunch, while Barb and I drove north to Strawberry, Arizona to check out Fossil Creek Creamery.

We tasted and purchased their lovely goat cheese, which you will find on fine menus around the Valley; including Binkley’s, T-Cooks at The Royal Palms, Quiessence at South Mountain, and Kai at Wild Horse Pass. While the cheese is tasty, the best part was petting the baby goats – adorable! The little black and white cutie at the top of the page was my favorite!

Now, what to make with this fabulous fresh goat cheese… I can’t think of anything better than these amazing biscuits that are served at Art Smith’s southern-style Chicago restaurant, Table Fifty-Two. Art Smith was the personal chef to Oprah Winfrey from 1997 to 2007, so the biscuits have quite a pedigree! Enjoy!

P.S. Funny how things work out… my own adorable daughter talked about goats on her blog, “Linger”, just a couple days ago… strange when you think about it – how often do people you know actually mention goats?

Art Smith’s Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup goat cheese
1 cup buttermilk
Extra butter to grease pan and top biscuits
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place one 10-inch cast iron pan into the oven while it is preheating.

Place flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder into a medium-sized bowl. Cut in the butter and goat cheese with pastry cutter or 2 forks. Make a well in the middle of the ingredients and pour in the milk. Stir until the mix is moistened, adding an extra tablespoon of milk if needed.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven and place a tablespoon of butter into it. When the butter has melted, drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter into the pan. Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter.

Bake from 14-16 minutes until browned on the top and bottom. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the grated cheese.  Enjoy warm!

Makes 12

Exactly two weeks ago I made Preserved Lemons and encouraged you to do the same, hopefully you did, because today is the day to crack those babies open and begin to enjoy their amazing flavor.

I’ll be serving my Moroccan chicken with a little couscous made with chicken broth and seasoned with cumin, cinnamon and a few currants… enough already! No more time to blog…time to eat!

Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons, Olives, and Goat Cheese

3 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon fresh minced oregano
1 teaspoon fresh minced thyme
Pinch of dried red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons minced green pitted olives
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 whole cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 pieces preserved lemon pieces
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
16 pitted green olives, halved
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

In a small bowl mix together the goat cheese, garlic, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes and minced olives.

Pat chicken dry, then season with salt and pepper. On the thickest side of each breast, cut a deep and long pocket. Using your fingers, stuff the goat cheese mixture into each pocket. Close by pressing the flesh together.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a plate and keep warm, covered.

Add remaining tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter to skillet and reduce heat to moderate. Cook onions and garlic, stirring frequently, until softened and caramelized, 15 to 18 minutes. Add cinnamon sticks, saffron, cumin, ginger, and pepper and cook, stirring, 3 minutes.

Scrape and discard pulp from preserved lemon. Cut rind into thin strips and add to onions with broth, wine, and olives.

Return chicken, with any juices accumulated on plate, to skillet. Braise, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes. Discard cinnamon sticks and serve sprinkled with fresh cilantro.

Serves 4

Today I am sharing another southwestern inspired recipe from my friend and mentor, Barbara Fenzl of Les Gourmettes Cooking School. I helped Barb teach a couples’ class earlier in the week and this was just one of the six delectable dishes the class made. If you’re looking for something special for you and your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, these quesadillas will fit the bill. Enjoy them before you head out to a romantic dinner, or make them together and then sit down, relax, and enjoy with champagne. Avec amour (with love) xoxo

Here is a picture of the roasting of the two peppers used. A poblano has a much thinner skin than a bell pepper, so watch it more closely and turn it more often, it will roast more than twice as fast of the bell. These two peppers began roasting at the exact same time, but as you can clearly see, the poblano is ready to be covered with plastic wrap to steam and the bell still as a ways to go.

Smoked Salmon Quesadillas

2 ounces (1/4 cup) chèvre goat cheese
2 ounces (1/4 cup) cream cheese, room temperature
Four 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas
1 poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into thin strips
1 red or orange bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into thin strips
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into thin slices
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 ounces smoked salmon, cut into thin strips

In a small bowl, mix together chèvre and cream cheese until smooth and well blended. Divide the mixture evenly between the four tortillas and spread evenly over each tortilla.

Divide the poblano and bell pepper strips evenly over half of each tortilla. Layer avocado over the pepper strips and sprinkle with the chopped shallots.  Divide the salmon strips evenly between the tortilla halves.  Fold over tortillas, pressing gently to seal. (May be made ahead to this point, wrap each quesadilla separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before continuing.)

Heat a non-stick skillet (at least 10-inches in diameter) over medium high heat and toast the quesadillas in the dry pan, two at a time, until the cheese melts and they are brown, turn over and brown on the other side.

Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges and serve warm.

Makes 16 wedges

I’m hosting a dinner party tonight and will be serving another of Jennifer Markett’s scrumptious dishes. She calls them cigars, but after making them today, I’d rename them stogies, look at the picture and tell me what you think. Since I’m serving a large variety of appetizers, I’m only going to make half a batch of these. When a recipe calls for 1 egg and you need only half an egg, crack the egg into a bowl and beat well, 1 large egg equals about 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons). So use only 2 tablespoons beaten egg, and for this particular recipe, save the remaining 2 tablespoons for brushing the wonton wrappers.

When assembling a number of the same thing, it’s easiest to do it assembly-line style… lay out about half of the won ton wrappers (they dry too quickly to do all at once) and top each with the filling.  Brush with the egg one at a time, or it too will dry out or begin to stick to the counter, and roll.

My hope is that all the recent and upcoming appetizer recipes will help with your holiday party planning. After all, Christmas is now less than 3 weeks away … take a deep breath, stay calm, and have fun with your holiday entertaining …ommmm

Jen’s Goat Cheese Cigars

9 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup minced Italian parsley
1 egg
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

24 wonton wrappers
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup olive oil
Additional paprika, if desired

In a medium bowl blend together goat cheese, parsley, egg, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper.

Place wonton wrappers on a work surface. spoon about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture in the bottom third of each wrapper, brush edges with  beaten egg, wrap up burrito-style and sealing edges, lightly pinch ends to seal well. (Can be assembled 4 hours ahead, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to fry).

Heat a medium skillet until hot, add oil. Test oil by dipping a little corner of one cigar into pan to be sure it sizzles, when oil is hot, place 3 or 4 cigars in pan, turning with tongs until brown.  Remove to paper towels to drain, sprinkle one end with paprika, if desired, for the look off a “lit end” of each cigar. Serve immediately.

Makes 24 cigars

Goat Cheese and Green Olive-Almond Pesto Crostini

The guest chef-instructor at Barbara Fenzl’s Les Gourmettes Cooking School this week was Chef Tim McGrath of Cook’s Gathering Catering in Long Beach, California. Tim is one of the most creative, sharing, and knowledgeable chefs I’ve ever met.  I am constantly being asked for a recommendation for a caterer here in town and each time, I wish that Tim was in Phoenix, because he would always be my very first choice, hands down!  When I told Tim that, he let me know that he would be willing to fly to Phoenix to cater a party, so if you ever have a need for something really special, he’s your man!  For class he served Mini Ahi Tuna Kabobs with this outstanding “pesto”.  One of the best things about Tim’s classes is that he’ll be teaching you a dish and then give you a dozen other ideas of what to do with that recipe.  When he suggested using this olive pesto on a crostini with goat cheese… well, that is right up my alley!  A great bonus… it’s “Easy – Breezy” and the colors lend themselves perfectly to the upcoming holiday season.

What is it that makes this recipe so “Easy – Breezy”?  Well, besides using the food processor to make the pesto and that fact that it is a quick and delicious appetizer, every single ingredient can be found at Trader Joe’s!  The roasted piquillo peppers are sold in a 10.4-ounce jar, and you can’t find a better price on the almonds, goat cheese, or olive oil anywhere in town.  You will notice this recipe does not call for salt, that is because the olives and their brine are salty enough.  The brine is used to thin out the pesto.  Unlike traditional pesto that uses basil, the olives and almonds do not have a high water content, thus the brine is needed to create the perfect consistency.

So what are these piquillo peppers that are use as a garnish here?  They are a variety of chili grown in Northern Spain. The name means “little beak” in Spanish. The peppers are  harvested between September and December. They are roasted and have a distinct spicy-sweet flavor. They are then peeled and seeded, before being packed into jars.  In Spain they are often roasted and left whole before being stuffed with meat, seafood, and/or cheese and served as tapas.

When you slice soft goat cheese, the knife can smash the log shape of the cheese and often there is more cheese left on the knife itself than there is in the slices.  Solution? Dental floss!  Seriously, I have a roll of unflavored dental floss in a kitchen drawer and use it just for slicing goat cheese. Cut off a piece of floss long enough to extend across the cheese and wrap around both of your index fingers, then use your thumbs to hold the floss taut. Pull the floss downward to slice through the cheese. The floss will allow you to thinly slice the soft cheese, and it won’t smash or stick to it at all. This technique works well for softened cream cheese or Boursin and other rindless soft cheeses too.

Goat Cheese and Green Olive- Almond Pesto Crostini

1 cup green olives stuffed with pimientos
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1 cup Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
a scant 1/4 cup of the olive brine that olives came packed in
Freshly ground black pepper

Additional olive oil for brushing bread
French baguette, cut into 32 slices, on the diagonal
11-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (chèvre)
1 roasted piquillo pepper (from a purchased jar), thinly sliced

Place olives, garlic, almonds and parsley in a food processor; pulse until ingredients are well ground.  With the machine running add the olive oil through the feed tube until the mixture is fairly smooth.  Thin out with the olive brine to the desired consistency.  Season with freshly ground pepper, and pulse a couple more times. Set aside.

Using dental floss as directed above, cut 16 thin rounds of goat cheese, use floss to cut each of the rounds in half so they better fit the shape of the baguette slices, for a total of 32 pieces.  You will not use the entire log of goat cheese, reserve for another use.

Preheat broiler to high heat.  Brush both sides of the bread slices with oil and place on a baking sheet. Broil until golden brown, about 1 minute. Turn slices over and broil second side for another minute or until golden brown, immediately top each piece with a goat cheese slice. Return to oven and broil until cheese softens slightly, about 1 more minute.

Spread pesto on top of warm goat cheese and top with a thin piquillo pepper strip. Transfer crostini to a platter. Serve hot from the oven or at room temperature.

Makes 32

I’m in Tucson today visiting Marissa and her fabulous roommates, Kaley, Petra, Kelsey and Paige.  They live in a cute 5 bedroom house with a pool! I came down to check out the decorating and make them dinner.  I’d seen it in July, before they moved in, but it was empty and stark, now it’s so cute with all their things in place.  There were 11 of us for dinner, I made a mixed green salad topped with a savory tart for the first course.  Unfortunately, in the rush of trying to get 11 plates out to the table at the same time, I forgot to take a picture, dang it!  Maybe, I’ll remake this at a later date and get a picture up, because it was pretty and tasty too. Eight of the co-eds are pictured above with their Cucumber Martinis, that I promised Marissa I’d make for her back on the August 24 post. Missing from the picture are Blake and Graven, who arrived just minutes after this was taken.  Sorry guys!

Artichoke and Olive Tart atop Mixed Greens

1 large jar (approximately 26-ounces) marinated artichoke hearts
1 large lemon
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
2 small or medium ripe tomatoes

1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons fat free half-and-half

25 to 30 black oil-cured Kalamata olives, drained and pitted
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Parmesan Vinaigrette
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

12 cups mixed greens

Drain the artichokes and place in a medium bowl.  Add the zest of  1/2 of the lemon, parsley, thyme, shallot, and pepper then set aside.

On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 13-inch square. Place the pastry in an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently press it into the pan and trim the edge of the pastry so it’s even with the top edge of the pan. Chill in the freezer for 12 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Thinly sliced the tomatoes and place on paper towels to drain and release some of their juices.

In a bowl, combine the egg, goat and cream cheeses, half-and-half  and the zest from the other half of the lemon and mix well.

Spread the cheese mixture onto the bottom of the pastry.  Place the drained tomatoes on top in a single layer. In a single layer place the artichoke mixture and olives tightly together on top of the tomato layer. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Freeze for 12 minutes.

Bake the tart in the preheated oven, about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the filling is puffed and lightly browned.

While tart bakes make vinaigrette:  Whisk lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire, and garlic in a small bowl.  Drizzle in oil while whisking to emulsify. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.   Toss the greens with the vinaigrette and divided between salad plates.

Remove the tart bottom from the rim, cut into wedges and serve warm on top of  dressed mixed greens.

Serves 8 to 10