cheese Archives - Eat Simply, Eat Well

Full of micronutrients to give you the energy to push through to the end of Winter.

Don’t despair, my friends, I think the end of this long, cold Winter is in sight. I can feel it. I hope I’m not wrong. We’re still seeing the occasional flurry of snowflakes here in Helsinki, but for the most part, the snow isn’t sticking and the packed snow and ice is nearly melted from everywhere. That’s a relief – especially the fact that the ice is gone off of our favorite walking trails. For a while there, it was pretty slipper and miserable to try to find footing in the dark evenings as we made our way around the neighborhood and around the island trail in our favorite nearby natural reserve. Now we are back on firm footing and loving it, and the slightly warmer weather (+3° C feels warm by now!).

We are moving from full on soups and other comfort foods to adding more and more salads to our repertoire. Salty, sweet, creamy and fresh. That’s a good combination for a salad. I still have full on adoration for the seasonal pomegranate, especially mixed into a salad, but a delicious bunch of red grapes caught my eye in the grocery store recently and provided just the sweet note I was looking for to pair with the salty halloumi. What starts as a light salad quickly turns into a meal once you add grilled cheese and creamy diced avocado. Toss in a few toasted seeds and you are well on your way to energized afternoon.

Go for it. It’ll only take a few minutes to have this on your plate.

This is a lunch whipped together on a weekend afternoon after a long walk in the sleet & the rain, consumed as the fog turned everything a murky gray outside, and flickering candlelight cast shadows against the windows. Serve by itself or with bread – either way you’ll find it a satisfying, flavorful meal.

Halloumi, Grape, Avocado & Rucola Salad

Halloumi, Grape, Avocado & Rucola Salad

4 cups fresh, washed rucola/rocket
1 cup of halved grapes
1/2 avocado, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cucumber, diced
juice of 1/2 lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons maple syrup
scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, toasted
150 g Halloumi, cut into large pieces

Combine the rucola, grapes, avocado, green onion and cucumber in a bowl and toss with your fingers or a spoon to combine. In a small cup or bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, maple syrup, salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing mix over the salad and toss well to combine. Add half of the pumpkin seeds, combine briefly, and divide the salad between two plates.

Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan over high heat, add a few drops of oil, and fry the halloumi until it is golden brown on both sides. Divide the halloumi between the salad plates and sprinkle with the remaining pumpkin seeds.

Serves 2.

As I kick off my holiday baking, I’ve decided to start with salty snacks rather than sweet, as that’s what I’m starting to crave after the first inundation of holiday treats.

And people, these crackers are something to talk about.

I debated whether or not to call these ‘crackers’ or ‘cookies’ as they certainly aren’t health food, and play on the concept of shortbread. In Finnish, the choice would be easier: ‘keksi’ for cookie and ‘suolakeski’, i.e. salty cookie, for cracker – so cookie either way.

The idea behind creating this is that I wanted a gluten-free cracker that I could serve them to anyone who came to visit. I wanted them to taste good all on their own, without any topping or accompaniment, as a cookie does, and also be able to play a role on the savory side of the table next to the cheeses, olives and antipasti. To add a tangy, salty flavor, I included chèvre, along with butter for a tender sweetness, and chopped fresh rosemary because I love the flavor, all wrapped up for delivery in buckwheat flour.

Despite its name, buckwheat is gluten-free: a fruit seed rather than a grain, related to the rhubarb family, with a subtle nutty sweetness and a beautiful, light texture. Buckwheat is a good source for manganese, copper, dietary fiber and phosphorus. It has two flavenoids, rutin and quercitin, that have strong health-promoting actions. On top of all that, it contains a high-quality protein with all eight essential amino acids, including lysine. The bottom line: it is good for your cardiovascular system, helps stabilize blood sugar, and like other whole grains and seeds, is good for heart health. What’s not to love?

Fresh out of the oven, these crackers bring the splendid smell of rosemary to the kitchen. Warm, you can taste the melding of butter and chèvre into a tender, subtle, pleasing flavor off of which the rosemary plays very nicely. Once cooled, they have a crispy bite with a slight tenderness to them that makes them wildly addictive.

I can imagine these, as hoped for, holding their own on a cheese platter or antipasti tray. But I can also picture them with a small spoonful of bilberry or blueberry jam; nestled next to a bowl of beet and goat cheese soup or beef stew; or, lined up all on their own as part of the sweet offering together with evening drinks, offering a welcome respite from the sugary confections on the table.

Whichever way it is you decide to serve them, they’ll surely be a welcome addition to your table.

Savory Chèvre Rosemary Buckwheat Crackers

Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F

2 cups/340 g buckwheat flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
scant 1/2 cup / 100g cold chèvre, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup / 115g cold, salted butter, chopped into small pieces
2 teaspoons fresh, chopped rosemary
6 tablespoons cold water

Mix the flour, sugar and salt together to combine thoroughly. Pour into the bowl of a food processor and add the chèvre, butter and rosemary. Process until fully combined and the mixture begins to clump together. With the food processor running, slowly add the cold water in a steady stream. Process until the mixture begins to form a mass. Turn off the food processor. Tip the mixture into a bowl or onto a clean countertop. Knead together until it forms a smooth mass. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes, until cold but not rock solid.

Divide the dough in half. Sprinkle the counter top with a light layer of buckwheat flour. Roll the dough out into an even layer, about 1/8 thick, turning the dough over and dusting both sides with additional flour during the rolling out process to prevent sticking. Cut with the cookie cutter of your choice. Place the raw cookies onto a parchment-lined oven pan about 1/4″ apart. Bake 10 minutes until light golden brown. Cool completely; then store in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 75-85 small crackers