Feta is betta....

Good evening everyone!  Let me just start by saying a big THANKS to Denise, Lazaro and Nancy for choosing my recipe in the "Quickies" challenge.  It is really an honor since ALL of the bloggers are such talented cooks.  Thanks again!

Without a doubt, one of the biggest surprises I've had in the kitchen in a long time was finding out that feta cheese actually tastes GOOD as a dessert.  Mind you, I love me some feta.  In fact, were it not for feta cheese and Greek yogurt I'd be a stalwart vegan but alas...I go weak in the knees for a hunk of cheese that smells vaguely like sweat socks.  However, I am fairly certain that the biblical reference of "manna from Heaven" was in reference to feta cheese!

I did not distinguish the type of feta that I used in the brownie recipe...sorry!  Reading Biren's post (Roti n Rice) about the difference between Bulgarian and Greek feta reminded me that some people do not really know there is a distinction.  Greek feta, which is my personal preference is sharp, salty, crumbly and drier than the milder, creamier Bulgarian.  Feta can be made from cow, goat or sheep's milk.  French feta is often made from sheep's milk, Bulgarian from goat or a combo.  Greek is most commonly cow's milk (whether domestic or imported) however, I have gotten goat milk Greek style feta in specialty markets.  Gee...can anyone tell that I'm obsessed with feta cheese? 

The brownies incedentally were made with Greek feta as was the "bonus recipe" that came about because I had left over ingredients from the contest recipes. 

I was more ambivalent about the Individual Feta Cheesecakes because the feta would feature so prominently (being that there was not two pounds of excellent quality chocolate sitting underneath it).  The process for making the batter was identical to what went on top of the brownies but I've jazzed the cheesecakes up with a pecan crust and a drizzle of ginger infused agave nectar.  See what you think.......

Individual Feta Cheesecakes with Ginger Infused Agave Syrup

• 6 ounces room temperature cream cheese
• 3 ounces feta cheese
• 2 large organic eggs
• 3/4 cup *Florida Crystals organic cane sugar plus extra sugar for ramekins
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons organic all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup blue agave nectar
• 1/2 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger
• fruit of choice to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly butter the bottoms and sides of 4 (six ounce) ramekins.  Place about a teaspoon of coarse natural sugar crystals in each and twirl until sugar coats the insides.  Divide the chopped pecans evenly between the four ramekins.  Gently shake to flatten the nuts into an even layer. 
2. Place all remaining ingredients except agave and ginger in blender.  Blend until thick and smooth.  Optional add ins could be added AFTER blending (example: zest, mini chocolate chips, or whatever you might normally add into a cheesecake).  Divide mixture evenly between the four ramekins.  Place ramekins in a 4 quart glass casserole dish and set on the middle shelf in oven.  Carefully pour hot water into casserole dish to a depth of 1- 1/2 inches or about half the depth of ramekins.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes until set.  They will be mostly firm but you may see a very small amount of "giggle" near the center which is fine.
3. Remove cheesecakes from water bath and cool in wire rack.  I recommend chilling for several hours before unmoulding.  When ready to unmold, carefully dip the dish into a bowl of hot water for a few seconds.  Run a butter knife around the edges to loosen.  Invert on serving dish.
4. Prepare Gingered Agave Syrup:  Pour agave nectar into a small sauce pan.  Slice ginger and add to syrup.  Heat syrup over low heat until hot but not boiling.  Remove from heat and strain out ginger.  Chill syrup until ready to serve.  Syrup may be made while cheesecakes are cooling or ahead of time. Decorate with fruits of choice and drizzle with ginger infused agave syrup. 

Makes four servings and they are fantastic!

Dense, sharp and incredibly RICH!

(c) copyright Jill Anderson

The Homegrown Gourmet

Second Contest Entry - Avocado Fudge Brownies with Feta Cheesecake Swirl

No...you did NOT read that title wrong!  I really DID make an avocado brownie that's marbled with feta cheesecake.  This is my second entry for Denise and Lazaro's challenge.  (See details at http://lazarocooks.blogspot.com/ or http://quickiesonthedinnertable.yolasite.com/ 

While you are there, be sure to check out Denise's book......

Before everyone becomes convinced that I have taken leave of my senses (again), let me explain the reasoning behind the avocado brownie.  I have played around for years with different ingredients and methods in the quest to create truely scrumptuous vegan baked goods that are just as good if not better than their dairy/egg laden counterparts.

I must admit, I've made some real messes along the way.  But I've made some breakthroughs as well.  One of those was my Vegan Avocado Fudge Cupcake which we sold at Central Florida Veg Fest two years in a row...by the HUNDREDS.  The avocado serves a dual purpose here...both as an egg replacement/emulsifier and a healthy fat source.  It works amazingly well too.  Granted the brownies are not vegan but I thought...why not give it a whirl and see what happens.

The results were astounding.  My ridiculously rich recipe for Fleur De Sel Caramel Triple Chocolate Brownies uses a Deen-like amount of butter.  I replaced one of the eggs and half of the butter with pureed avocado and the result is a dense, moist, fudge-like brownie that probably breaks the law in some states.  To encorporate the feta, I made a feta cheesecake batter to swirl into the brownies.  There is so much anti-oxident rich dark chocolate in these brownies that they actually look BLACK!  The feta cheesecake swirl is a nice contrast.

Avocado Fudge Brownies with Feta Cheesecake Swirl

• 
  
  10 ounces dark (70% cacao) chocolate, chips or broken chunks
• 
  
  1/2 stick unsalted organic butter
• 
  
  1 ripe Haas avocado, pitted and peeled
• 
  
  2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
• 
  
  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 
  
  1/4 cup buttermilk
• 
  
  1 Tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 
  
  3 large organic eggs (1 for cheesecake swirl)
• 
  
  3/4 cup packed dark brown organic sugar
• 
  
  1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour (organic preferred)
• 
  
  1 teaspoon baking powder
• 
  
  1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
• 
  
  1 cup chopped walnuts
• 
  
  4 ounces room temperature cream cheese
• 
  
  3 ounces feta cheese
• 
  
  1/3 cup organic cane sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour an 8x8 baking pan; set aside.

1. 
   
   Place chocolate chunks and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water.  Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.  Stir until melted and smooth.  Remove from heat.
2. 
   
   While chocolate melts, combine avocado, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, salt, buttermilk, espresso powder, 2 of the whole eggs and the brown sugar in blender.  Blend until smooth.  Add avocado mixture to semi cooled chocolate gradually until encorporated.
3. 
   
   In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with baking powder and cocoa.  Pour chocolate avocado mixture into flour mixture and stir until no dry spots remain.  Coat nuts in 1 of the remaining tablespoons of flour.  Fold into batter.  Do not overmix.  Batter will be very thick and fudge like.  Smooth batter into prepared pan.
4. 
   
   Prepare the Feta Cheesecake Swirl:  Place remaining egg, vanilla extract, softened cream cheese and feta in blender.  Add granulated sugar and last tablespoon of flour.  Process until thick and smooth.  If you need a couple drops of buttermilk to facilitate blending that is ok but try blending without it first.  This mixture should be thick but pourable.
5. 
   
   Using a butter knife, cut through the brownie batter in a swirl pattern.  The batter is thick enough to stay put.  Pour Feta Cheesecake mixture into the indentions in brownie.  If additional swirling is necessary, just drag knife through until desired swirling is achieved.
6. 
   
   Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.  The center may still seem wet when pricked with a cake tester and that is fine.  Do not overbake.  Cool brownies completely before removing from pan.  Cut into desired shapes.  Number of servings will vary depending on how they are cut. 

Check out the beautiful swirled tops...

Very dark and moist...but they cut beautifully.

a little creative plating with a ripe, juicy strawberry, a dusting of cocoa and powdered sugar and some bon bon candles.  I stood one brownie on it's side for visual impact and also to show the color and texture. 

Jill Anderson

The Homegrown Gourmet

Contest Entry Number One - Avocado & Green Onion Corn Cakes with Feta-ziki Sauce

As most of my "circle" of blogger buddies know, we have a wonderful opportunity to participate in a contest co-sponsored by Denise at http://quickiesonthedinnertable.yolasite.com/ and Lazaro at http://lazarocooks.blogspot.com/

Cover of Denise's lovely book which is one of the contest prizes.

First I'd like to say thanks to both Denise and Lazaro for inspiring us to culinary creativity (something at which both are infinately accomplished themselves).  I couldn't have asked for two better ingredients since BOTH are absolute favorites of mine. 

It was difficult to choose between a sweet or savory dish and ultimately, I couldn't.  So I made both. 
With this first entry my "southern roots" are definately showing!  My grandmother made the hands down BEST cornmeal cakes on this earth in her day.  We always called them "granny's hoe-cakes".  Before anyone gets excited...I said HOE...no HO!!  The unusual origins of this particular southern delicacy are said to have originated with slaves and field hands who mixed inexpensive coarse corn meal with water (and sometimes meat drippings if they were lucky enough to have any) and cooked the resulting "pancakes" on the blades of their hoes which were heated over the camp fire.  It was cheap, portable and filled an empty belly.

Cornmeal cakes are also referred to as "Johnny Cakes" (though I have no clue why on this one), "cornmeal fritters" and "fried cornbread."  There may be other names but those are the ones most commonly used where I grew up. 

By the way, I love fried bread!  What's not to love?  Of course, I don't fry often and I don't use bacon grease or lard as was my grandmother's fat of choice.  The recipe I've created takes the Hoe cake to a whole new height of fried bread delciousness.  I did use a white self-rising cornmeal blend (Three Rivers is the only brand our family EVER used) just because I find it easier and better than guessing or experimenting with meal/flour ratios.  This is NOT one of those "add water and stir" things though.  You can use any brand of self-rising cornmeal blend that you like.

Avocado and Green Onion Corn Cakes with Feta-ziki Sauce

A lovely, rustic pale green cornmeal cake served with a fresh spin on Tzatziki Sauce

For the Corn Cakes:

• 1 ripe Haas avocado, peeled and seeded
• 1 whole organic egg
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (organic preferred)
• 2 cups white self-rising cornmeal blend (any brand)
• 1 cup sliced green onion tops
• olive oil for frying

1. Place peeled avocado in the blender with the egg and buttermilk.  Blend until smooth.
2. Measure self rising cornmeal blend into a 2 quart bowl.  Pour avocado-buttermilk mixture into cornmeal all at once.  Stir until no dry spots can be seen.  Fold in green onion tops.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet (I prefer cast iron).  Use 1/4 cup scooop (or eyeball it) to measure batter into hot pan.  Flatten batter so that cakes are about 4 inches in circumference.  Space cakes about 2 inches apart to facilitate turning.  Cook until golden brown on first side; about 5 minutes over medium high heat.  Flip carefully and cook until second side is golden brown and crispy.  Cool on paper towel lined platter.

Makes 8 large cakes

For Feta-ziki:

• 1 cup Greek style plain yogurt (I used fat free but you can use what you like)
• 1/2 cup shredded English cucumber, peel on and squeezed dry
• 1 clove grated fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced dill
• 3 ounces finely crumbled feta cheese
• black pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir well.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Top Avocado Green Onion Corn Cakes with generous dollops of Feta-ziki and enjoy!

Jill Anderson

The Homegrown Gourmet