This cake should quite possibly be your go-to “I need to make a cake in a hurry” cake and “I don’t really have the time to deal!” cake. While it does take an hour to bake, the whole thing comes together in minutes. It is *not* a cheese cake: it uses ricotta cheese, hence the cheese in the title. It is, however, a lightly, fluffy, simple and flavorful cake. Serve with a bit of whipped cream and you know something, it’s also going to be my breakfast tomorrow morning.
cheese
Bourbon Caramelized Onions, Bacon and Smoked Gouda Grilled Cheese Panini
Yesterday was National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. I either didn’t know this or actually may not have cared, until I saw all the yummy GCSs being posted all over the Interwebs. So I had to run out and buy some yummy cheese and bread and came up with this concoction. Bacon, caramelized onions with a shot of bourbon, a really nice cheese. Lunch is served.
So today, Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday is called Green Thursday in Germany (not the only name, and no, I am not Catholic nor generally religious, so I am not going into the whole details of why, yadda yadda yadd… you all have the ability to google for yourselves), and some people eat green food today. Typically things that are leafy and herby and spring like. This year, given my work schedule, it kind of crept up on me (and Easter is particularly early this year) so I had to do what was in the house. Although, in my house, this involves quails eggs and smoked gouda. So, yeah, I’m a little odd when it comes to stuff in my fridge.
I’ve been working on perfecting some “from scratch” and quick lunch recipes. This one is almost from scratch (meaning, I used puff pastry so that was store bought, but everything else was from scratch). A little less than 40 minutes from “still in the fridge” (though you do need to take out the puff from the freezer) to “completely devoured”. Plus that includes the photography time. I did burn my mouth though from one of the tomatoes bursting. I probably should have waiting a few more minutes before eating, but I was hungry.
This is a great tart for this time of the year when cherry tomatoes are so plentiful in the garden and at the farmer’s markets, but actually can be made year round because cherry toms are reliably decent even at other times of the year.
Fig Honey and Thyme Jam
This week, I found myself in possession of a pound and a half of fresh figs. Not sure really how that happened, as figs are expensive and while you can find them a lot of places, certainly less common than say, an apple. Anyway, I absolutely love figs, but there is no chance that I could have eaten all of them (and enjoyed them) in one go, so I decided to make this lovely jam with about 2/3 of the lot. It’s a sweet jam, of course, with notes of honey, thyme and orange, but it pairs really nicely with savory — would go great with pork, and as shown with this cheese (it’s manchego) or even charcuterie. Or mix it into oatmeal or yogurt, or yes, even toast. It’s surprisingly versatile and yummy to boot. Also, it is very easy to make.