Roasted Red Pepper Baked Ricotta on Crusty Sourdough Bread

Photo Credit: lifeasastrawberry

Roasted Red Pepper Baked Ricotta on Crusty Sourdough Bread

Delicious roasted red peppers smothered with ricotta cheese that has been infused with herbs and served on a crusty sourdough bread. Yum.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

Yield: Serves 4-6
Adapted from:  lifeasastrawberry

Ingredients

1 large red bell pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 Tbsp. chopped shallot
2 clove garlic, chopped and divided
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1.5 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 stick butter
1 loaf crusty french or sourdough bread, sliced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

First, roast the pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes until skin is wrinkled and charred. Remove pepper from the oven, place in a small bowl, and immediately cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Let sit until it's cool enough to handle, about a half hour. Remove the stem, peel off the skin, and remove the seeds. Chop roasted pepper and set aside.
In a medium skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium heat.
Add shallot and 1 clove chopped garlic to oil and sauté 2 minutes until shallot is translucent.
Add chopped roasted red pepper, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Continue to cook for 2 minutes until balsamic vinegar is fragrant and mixture has softened.
Transfer red pepper mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. If mixture is too thick, add remaining olive oil and blend until smooth. Taste and re-season if necessary. Set aside.
Spoon ricotta cheese into a small baking dish (I used a 4" cast iron skillet). You don't need to smooth it out unless you really want to - I like leaving it a bit uneven so that the finished dish looks more interesting!
Pour red pepper sauce over ricotta. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is heated through.
While the ricotta bakes, prepare the crostini. In a small saucepan (or in the microwave) melt butter with remaining garlic.
Lay bread slices out on a baking sheet. Brush each piece of bread with butter and garlic mixture. Bake at 400 until lightly toasted, about 5-7 minutes.
Top baked ricotta with fresh chopped parsley for garnish. Serve immediately with crostini.

Shrimp Sweet Potato Mousseline with Parmesan Cheese

Photo Credit: homeatsix

Shrimp Sweet Potato Mousseline with Parmesan Cheese

Tasty shrimp with fresh sweet potato served in a phyllo dough with parmesan cheese and garnish.

Prep time:15 mins
Cook time:10 mins
Total time:25 mins



Adapted from: homeatsix
Serves: 24

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes
¼ yellow onion, chopped
1 cup cooked shrimp (+ ½ cup for garnish)
1 clove garlic
½ tsp salt
green onion for garnish
6 sheets phyllo dough
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 tbs grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F
Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan
Add chopped sweet potato and cook over medium heat until fork tender, remove from heat
Over medium heat, sautee onions and garlic until softened, remove from heat
Meanwhile, prepare phyllo cups by laying sheet on large surface and brushing with oil
Sprinkle each layer with finely chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese before adding new layer
Repeat until 3 sheets are layered
Using a sharp knife, cut sheets into 12 squares
Carefully, line lightly grease mini-muffin tins with layered phyllo and press to fill
Blind bake for 5 minutes and remove from oven
Add cooked sweet potato, onion, garlic, and shrimp to food processor and mix until smooth
Salt to taste
Pipe mixture into phyllo cups and bake for 5-7 minutes until golden, watching carefully so that phyllo doesn't burn
Garnish with green onion and shrimp
Serve warm or cold

Cheese Wontons with Monterey Jack Cheese

Photo Credit: showmetheyummy

Cheese Wontons with Monterey Jack Cheese

I love the crunch of potato chips the taste of melted cheese so what could be better than wontons filled with melted cheese.

Crispy, crunchy on the outside and filled with hot, gooey melty cheese! What could be better?
Adapted from: showmetheyummy

Ingredients

1 package wonton wrappers
1 (1 lb) block Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions

Start with one wonton wrapper, brush it with water (you can just use your finger like below too if you don't have the real fancy brush), and place another wrapper directly on top of it. Press down on it firmly all over so they stick together.
Then slice your cheese, I think Monterey Jack works the best for these, into ¾ - 1 oz cubes.  I put 4-5 cubes in each Wonton, it should fill it up pretty well once folded.
Dip your pointer finger in water, and brush the outside edges with water. No need to be stingy, the water helps the wonton adhere to itself.
Take opposite corners of the wonton and bring them together.
Pinch tightly and repeat with the other two opposite corners.
Make sure the seams are firmly pinched together (really... make sure they're stuck together well) and then place the whole wonton into your hand and gently squeeze out any excess air.
Check to make sure there are no holes, pockets, or loose seams in the wonton wrapper, as the cheese will melt out! Repeat this process with as many wontons as you'd like.
Now you're going to grab a saucepan (I don't suggest using a frying pan for this, it's too messy and dangerous) and place about an inch worth of vegetable oil in it on medium high heat until it's 325 degrees Fahrenheit. I use a candy thermometer to make sure I stay in the 325-350 range.
Place your wonton(s) carefully in the hot oil and cook until golden brown. The cooking time will vary depending on how many you're cooking at once. It took me about a minute for two wontons, and we flipped them about half way through. Tipping the pan, so the oil can fully submerge the wonton helps to cook them faster, and you don't have to flip them! You'll be able to tell when they're ready, just look for a nice golden color! I would suggest testing one at a time, until you feel comfortable on the amount of time it takes to get a golden, crunchy outside, with a gooey cheese center!
Also, make sure you're keeping an eye on the oil temperature, because you may need to adjust the heat level as you're going to maintain 325 degree F oil.
After the wontons are done, place on a paper towel to drain excess oil and serve immediately with that really awesome honey mustard that's been waiting in the fridge.

Notes

The best thing about this recipe is that you can make just one, or make enough for a crowd! 1 (1 oz) cube of cheese = 1 wonton wrapper. 1 (1 lb) block of cheese = 1 package wonton wrappers.

If you really don't feel like frying, these can be baked at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, flipping over halfway through the cooking time!