Gourmet Cheese Truffles with Goat Cheese, Triple Cream Cheese, Honeycomb, & Ground Pisatchio

Gourmet Cheese Truffles

Okay, so these would be the best little party appetizer. I mean, whenever I go to a party, there is always a big ole' plate of cheese and other what-not's that disappear within minutes. But, that can get a little messy when everyone is wanting to cut different cheese and spread on different condiments. Well, this solves the problem, friends. Meet Gourmet Cheese Truffles. The cheesy cousin to chocolate truffles. They are essentially your favorite soft cheese, stuffed with honeycomb, and rolled in ground nuts. I chose two cheeses because I couldn't decide what I wanted. I am a major sucker for goat cheese, so I knew that I wanted to try that, but I was intrigued by using Triple Cream Cheese. I also think that brie would work perfectly, as well as a soft blue cheese. You have to chill the honey into balls (which did by twisting it in plastic wrap) because it will be too runny to cover with cheese. You have to work kind of fast because the cheese and honey start to soften quite a bit, and then it gets a little messy from there. I decided to roll my truffles into ground pistachio because I love them and I thought they provided a great contrast of color. Pecans, walnuts, and almonds can be substituted as well if you like one of those better. Or you can just do a mix of a bunch of different cheeses &  nuts for a variety. That would be super fun. So, next time you are having a dinner party, cocktail party, or well, just happy hour, whip these out and your friends will be quite impressed with your mini cheese course!! Enjoy :)

I love the color of those bright green pistachios...

The truffles in the left & right rows are made with Triple Cream Cheese,
while the truffles in the middle are made with Goat Cheese

For the Cheese Truffles:

Goat Cheese or Triple Cream Cheese (as much as you want)

Honey Comb

Ground Pistachios (ground walnuts, almonds, or pecans can be substituted as well)

Directions:

1. To begin the truffles, place about ½-1t of honeycomb onto a piece of plastic wrap and tightly squeeze, while twisting the top, to form honeycomb balls. Place the wrapped balls into the freezer to chill & harden. This will make it easier to form the cheese around it.   

2. Slice off a tab of either goat cheese or triple cream cheese, about 1T of it, and begin to flatten it into a disc. Unwrap a honey ball from the freezer and place it into the center of the cheese. Gently wrap and shape the cheese around the honey. Roll in between your hands to make a round ball, making sure that the honey is completely concealed. Immediately roll in ground pistachios (or any other nut you prefer) and place into the refrigerator to chill completely before serving. Repeat with the cheese and honey until you have as many truffles as you want.

3. Keep them chilled until you are ready to serve. To serve, remove them from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before and place them onto a plate. Enjoy with a glass of wine!

Italian Sub Sandwiches

Italian Sub Sandwiches

These are the perfect picnic sandwich y'all. I'm tellin' you. Although I am partial to hot, toasty, melty, cheesy panini-style sandwiches, this cold Italian Sub Sandwich just hit the spot for us on our anniversary. I mean, it's not class italian sub, but it has similar flavors, just kicked up a bit. First of all, it has a spicy & sweet component with a spread of fig preserves and spicy pepper relish. Then, it's perfectly salty with the different combination of deli meats. There are two cheeses... smoked provolone and goat cheese, both of which you need, trust me. Some peppery arugula and marinated onions finish it all off, and well, you have an awesome sub. This is my Mountain Man's favorite type of sandwich, so I'm surprised I haven't made it before. But, guess what, I liked it just as much as him. We probably will make it this weekend, yummy!! P.S. does everyone realize that college football starts tomorrow? We did, which means a weekly installment of tailgatin' food will be back. YAY. Enjoy :)

Layers of Prosciutto, Salami, & Chorizo.

Those are fully stacked my friends...

For the Sandwiches:

4 Slices of Bread, Toasted or Fried in Olive Oil

Fig Preserves or Apricot Preserves

Italian Hot Pepper Spread (we love the brand, Wickles Hoagie & Sub Sandwich Relish)

2 Slices of Smoked Provolone

6oz of Assorted Deli Meats (we did a combination of Prosciutto, Salami, & Chorizo)

Goat Cheese, Room Temperature

Baby Arugula

Sweet Onion, Shaved Thinly & Tossed in Olive Oil, Vinegar, & Dried Oregano

Directions:

1. Toast or fry the bread in olive oil until golden brown.   

2. Spread some preserves on one slice of bread and some hot pepper spread on another slice. Start layering the sandwiches with smoked provolone, shaved deli meat, baby arugula, marinated onions, and a good amount of softened goat cheese.   

3. Stack the sandwich together and enjoy immediately.

Rainier Cherry-Vanilla Bean Lemonade

Rainier Cherry-Vanilla Bean Lemonade

I'm finally back with a recipe. Sorry I've been lazy, I just have so much school work, so I haven't felt like posting. But, I've got a semi-new recipe for you today because it's a take on my Vanilla Bean Lemonade that I made back in June. It's slightly different since it includes one of my favorite fruits, Rainier Cherries. I don't get to buy these very often, but when I see them at the grocery store, I immediately grab for them. I just love 'em. So I thought, why not make some cherry lemonade? It would be just perfect for our anniversary picnic. But, we just adored that Vanilla Bean Lemonade, so why not combine them together. I still made a vanilla bean infused simple syrup like before, but I also steeped some fresh rainier cherries into it as well. It's the perfect balance of sweet and tart. And since we were taking this lemonade on a picnic, I decided to freeze some more rainier cherries to act as ice cubes in our drink because nothin' is worse that a watered down drink, y'all. I also think it would be delicious to muddle some cherries into the bottom of the glass and maybe add some booze. But of course, I always want to add booze. Such the alcoholic I am. Serve it in a big ole' mason jar or a wine glass for all I care, it's all good. It's the perfect Summer beverage and just hits the spot when it's hot outside!! Enjoy :)

Our Picnic: Rainier Cherry-Vanilla Bean Lemonade, Brussel Sprout Slaw,
& Italian Sub Sandwiches

For the Rainier Cherry-Vanilla Bean Infused Simple Syrup:

1C Water

1C Honey

1-2 Vanilla Beans, Split & Scraped for Beans (depending on how strong you want it)

1lb Fresh Rainier Cherries, Pitted

For the Vanilla Bean Lemonade:

Prepared Rainier Cherry-Vanilla Bean Infused Simple Syrup, Chilled

1C Fresh Lemon Juice

3-4C Cold Water (or to your preferred strength)

1lb Fresh Rainier Cherries, Pitted & Frozen (to act as ice cubes for serving)

Directions:

1. For the Rainier Cherry-Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup: In a pot, heat the honey and water, whisking until the honey is dissolved completely. Add in the vanilla beans, their pods, and rainier cherries into the syrup and let them steep in the boiling syrup. Once it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and let the flavors meld for 3 hours. Once the syrup is thick and room temperature, strain the syrup (in order to remove the pods and softened cherries) and then pour the syrup into a container and chill overnight.   

2. For the Rainier Cherry-Vanilla Bean Lemonade: Add the fresh lemon juice, chilled rainier cherry-vanilla bean infused simple syrup, and cold water (about 3-4C depending on the desired strength). Refrigerate the vanilla bean lemonade for an hour.   

3. When serving, fill mason jars with frozen rainier cherries (to act as ice cubes) and pour in the lemonade and garnish with lemon slices or fresh rainier cherries & a straw. I find that using frozen rainier cherries as ice cubes are especially helpful when taking this lemonade on a picnic because the lemonade will not be watered down by the time you get to enjoy them.

Our Fifth Anniversary in Pictures

Another year is down in the books, folks...

I didn't post anything yesterday because we were out celebratin' our anniversary

And boy, we cooked a lot of food

So check back for the recipes this week 

I just love my boy :)

me + my mountain man

kisses 

silly camera roll

savannah is so gorgeous

hearts :)

our square at monterey

our yummy picnic food 

italian sub sandwiches 

brussel sprout coleslaw

rainier cherry-vanilla bean lemonade 

this is one good sammich y'all 

at the concert

more monterey pictures

black & whites 

ground pistachios, triple cream cheese, + honey comb

gourmet cheese truffles

bacon wrapped filet au poivre, homemade compound butter, brown butter seared scallops

surf n' turf n' frites 

fried brussel sprouts caesar salad in a parmesan frico bowl 

my mountain man's plate

creme brulee bread pudding

leftover bread pudding french toast

XOXO, Juliana

Birthday Cake Batter Cookies n' Cream Ice Cream

Birthday Cake Batter Cookies n' Cream Ice Cream

Another day... another ice cream recipe. Sadly, Summer is officially coming to a close. Yes, it's going to start to get cold, but with Autumn comes football games, Soup Sunday, movie nights & date nights, bonfires, pumpkin, apple cider, etc. So, in celebration of this hot weather, this will probably be one of the last ice cream recipes I make for a while... well, besides the occasional fall-themed custard. Anyway, I used to hate anything cake batter flavored, but suddenly it has intrigued me, and now I love it. At the beginning of the Summer, we actually make a cake batter ice cream that we just fell in love with. Well, when I saw the new Birthday Cake Oreo's at the grocery store, I need I just had to make a birthday cake flavored-cookies n' cream ice cream. It's a homemade birthday cake base, yep... you heard me right, no cake box mix here. And then it is filled with big ole' chunks of Birthday Cake Oreo's and lots of rainbow sprinkles. And why is it pink you ask? Well because I just felt like it. I mean, pink makes every thing better. But, feel free to discard the food dye and leave it plain... or you could dye it your favorite color. This ice cream is thick, smooth, and utterly creamy. And I put a whole bunch of Oreo's in there for good measure. Also, I personally like to wait a day or so before I eat the ice cream, so that the Oreo's soften a touch. But, that's really up to you!! Enjoy :)

That's one crazy concoction...

For the Cake Batter Cookies & Cream Ice Cream:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Melted & Cooled Slightly

2 ½C Heavy Cream

½C Milk

6 Egg Yolks

1C Sugar

2T Dry Milk Powder & AP Flour, Sifted

½t Salt (heaping… or just a tad bit more to taste)

1 ½t Vanilla

¼t Almond Extract (scant… or a little less)

1T Vanilla Bean Rum (or any kind of infused booze, preferably clear)

25 Birthday Cake Oreos, Roughly Chopped

½C Rainbow Sprinkles

Any Food Coloring, Optional (I chose pink because it’s pretty)

Directions:

1. For the Custard Base: In a saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, sifted dry milk powder & AP Flour, and salt until fluffy. Slowly whisk in the melted butter. Once combined, gradually and slowly into the simmering heavy cream-milk mixture. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, until thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon). Strain the custard into a bowl that is placed into an ice bath. Stir in the vanilla extract, almond extract, and vanilla bean rum. Cool the custard base until completely chilled. If you are going to add in food coloring, this is the time. Whisk in as many drops of food coloring into the chilled custard base until you have reached your desired color. Once you have reached your desired color, pour this chilled custard base into the ice cream maker.   

2.  Once the mixture is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Chop the Birthday Cake Oreos into small chunks. As soon as the mixture is done churning, transfer to a bowl or airtight container and stir in the chopped Oreos and the rainbow sprinkles (layer some chopped Oreos and sprinkles throughout). Store in the freezer until firm.  

Gourmet Double Cookie Dough Ice Cream with Brown Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream Base, Brown Butter Cookie Dough Pieces, & Mini Chocolate Chips

Gourmet Double Cookie Dough Ice Cream with Brown Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream Base with
Brown Butter Cookie Dough Pieces & Mini Chocolate Chips

I have always wanted to open my own little dream bakery, filled with yummy sandwiches and delicious desserts. But recently, I've been on an ice cream binge. Like serious binge. And this ice cream has to be at the top of my list. I mean I can't stop eating this stuff. We actually made this recipe three times because we kept eating it instead of taking a picture. As a kid, I never was a fan of cookie dough ice cream. Why? Because it was practically plain ole' boring vanilla ice cream with a few chunks of cookie dough. That was just not gonna cut it for me. So when I came across the idea of making a cookie dough flavored custard base, I was immediately intrigued. A lot of the recipes used a brown sugar-type custard, but I knew I wanted to use my favorite brown butter-brown sugar custard as the base. Oh boy did I hit the jackpot. Brown butter is amazing. Then you add in pieces of brown butter cookie dough pieces and mini chocolate chips... heaven. on. earth. I'm tellin' y'all. So about that bakery, it might just have to turn into an ice cream parlor because that's how much I love making ice cream now. If you don't have an ice cream maker, go get one. Now. I'm obsessed with mine. They are so much fun and the combinations are endless!! Enjoy :)

Brown Butter is My Life

You gotta have lots of cookie dough & chocolate chips!!

For the Brown Butter Cookie Dough Custard Base:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Browned & Cooled Slightly

2 ½C Heavy Cream

½C Milk

6 Egg Yolks

1C Dark Brown Sugar

½t Salt

1t Vanilla

1T Vanilla Bean Rum (or any kind of infused booze)

8oz Bittersweet Chocolate, Finely Chopped

For the Brown Butter Cookie Dough Pieces:

10T Unsalted Butter, Browned & Cooled until Firm

2/3C Light Brown Sugar, Packed

1t Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel

½C AP Flour

1t Vanilla

1 ½C Mini Chocolate Chips 

Directions:

1. For the Custard Base: In a saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, dark brown sugar, and salt until fluffy. Slowly whisk in the brown butter. Once combined, gradually and slowly into the simmering milk. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, until thickened (it should coat the back of a spoon). Strain the custard into a bowl that is placed into an ice bath. Stir in the bourbon, vanilla, and cinnamon. Cool the custard base until completely chilled.   

2. To Make the Brown Butter Cookie Dough Pieces: Stir together the brown butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth.  Mix in the flour and fleur de sel, then the vanilla and chocolate chips.  Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.   

3. Once the mixture is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Chop the disk of cookie dough into small chunks. As soon as the mixture is done churning, transfer to a bowl or airtight container and stir in the chocolate chips and the chunks of cookie dough. Store in the freezer until firm.   

Home Sweet Home in Cashiers, North Carolina

I've been in need some major need of relaxation lately. 

How about y'all? I seemed to be so stressed with school, ugh. 

But, that's the perfect excuse for an escape to my family mountain house in Cashiers, NC

Here are a few pictures from our weekend

I'll post a recipe in a couple hours... enjoy :)