Just because I do something for most holidays, here’s a quick recipe about my usual “Biggie” Chocolate Chip Cookies, all dressed up for St. Patrick’s Day.
sweets
I was a little apprehensive about making these. I love goat cheese and fried cheese in general is a good thing, but somehow I was both intrigued and nervous about these. Turns out, that nervousness was unfounded because OMG are these delicious. They are tart and salty, crunchy and silky and the honey really puts them over the top. Do not skip the freezing step otherwise the goat cheese will be too soft and will melt while you are frying. Also, really only make as many as you think that you will need because they aren’t as good when they cool to room temperature and you definitely don’t want to microwave to reheat, unless you like cleaning goat cheese from the inside of your microwave. Just saying.
Despite the fact that I am in snowy New England it’s February, here is a little bit of tropical sunshine to warm you up, still on the topic of “Citrus” : Coconut Key Lime Pie Cheesecake, that I made as a birthday present for a friend whilst I am visiting up in the Bangor/Orono, Maine area. I have to say that the result came out phenomenal. It’s light, it’s fluffy, it’s sweet and tart, and has a lovely, clean finish. Almost all cheesecakes are quite a bit of work but the result here was great. I am very pleased.
Well, a couple of days late and likely a few dollars short for Valentines Day, but here is the next thing for “Citrus week” — Lemon Mini-Heart Cakelettes. I had actually planned to make them with a raspberry swirl in the frosting, but that didn’t work out as planned. The whole reason for these was actually trying out my new “heartlet” plan. I found it at the local ACE hardware, but they are available off Amazon too. I was actually afraid that the little tarts wouldn’t release well from the cast iron, but turned out well. I’ll have to try mini-mini pies next.
Hey! It’s Pancake Day! Why, you ask? Well, it’s the last day of Carnival (Mardi Gras or Pre-Lent, all that) and this day has historically been used (apparently since the 1400s?) to use up sugars, eggs, and fat before Lent. Not being the religious sort myself, it was just an excuse for me to make pancakes. 🙂 And because it is citrus week, I went with my absolute favorite pancake recipe: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Syrup and Berries. Light, fluffy, just sweet enough but not too tart (lemony) to overpower.