Pan-Toasted Panino with Blanca Bianca, Vine-Ripened Tomatoes and Basil Pesto

2 large vine-ripened tomatoes 6 slices hearth-baked olive bread or sourdough bread, cut 1/2 inches thick 6 Tablespoons basil pesto 2 tablespoons capers 6 ounces Blanca Bianca (or Taleggio), thinly sliced 2 to 4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oils

Cut the tomatoes into twelve 1/4-inch thick slices. Place them on several layers of paper towel on a flat surface and cover with additional layers of paper towels. Press lightly to rid the tomatoes of their excess juices.

Place three slices of bread on a flat surface. Spread 1 tablespoon of basil pesto on the top of each slice. Distribute the tomatoes and capers over the pesto. Cover the surface with the Blanca Bianca slices and place the remaining three slices of bread on top.

Heat a heavy skillet, preferably made of cast iron, over medium-high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each of the top slices of bread with olive oil. Invert the sandwiches and place the oiled sides of the sandwiches face down in the skillet. Cook until the bread is toasted. Brush the tops of the sandwiches with olive oil and then, using a spatula, flip the sandwiches over to cook on the other side until toasted brown. Continue brushing the sandwiches with olive oil, turning, and toasting the sandwiches until deep golden brown and the cheese is completely melted.

To serve, cut the sandwiches into quarters. Serve two sandwich quarters to each. Serves 6.

Copyright © 2005 by Paula Lambert, All rights reserved.

Field Greens with Pears, Deep Ellum Blue and Port Shallot Dressing

Port and Shallot Dressing:
Place the port in a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook 15 minutes, or until the port reduces to 2/3 cup, without the shallots. Set aside to let cool. Pour the port and shallots into the container of a blender and puree. Add the vinegar and blend well. While the motor is running, drizzle the oil through the hole in the top and continue to blend until the dressing is emulsified and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside; refrigerate if not using immediately.

Salad:
Just before serving time, peel, core and slice the pears. Combine the greens, pears, walnuts, and Deep Ellum Blue Cheese in a large salad bowl. Drizzle half the dressing over the top and toss. Drizzle in the remaining dressing, tossing until the greens are well coated. (You may not need to add all the dressing.) Season with salt and pepper and toss again.

Serves 4.

Copyright. The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook & Guide by Paula Lambert, 2000.

Holiday Quesadillas

Lay 4 flour tortillas out on a flat surface. Cut cheese into 4 parts and then crumble the quarters of cheese onto each tortilla. Using your fingers, spread the cheese to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Place one fourth of the cilantro leaves on top of the cheese on each. Place the four remaining tortillas on top of the cheese to form four quesadillas.
Preheat the oven to 350º.
Heat an 8 to 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pan. Place one quesadilla in the pan and cook on both sides until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side, turning once. Remove the quesadillas to a baking sheet as they are cooked. Continue with the remaining quesadillas, by pouring an additional tablespoon of oil in the skillet and then cooking each quesadilla individually. When all are cooked, place quesadillas on the baking sheet in the oven and heat for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and ooey gooey.
To serve, remove the quesadillas from the oven and cut each into quarters. Place 4 overlapping wedges on each individual serving plate. Top the quesadilla wedges on each plate with a tablespoon of salsa and garnish with a sprig of cilantro and a sprinkling of bell pepper.

Serves 4.

Copyright © 2005 by Paula Lambert, All rights reserved.

Pan-Toasted Panino with Tapenade,
Sundried Tomatoes and Smoked Scamorza

Place three slices of bread on a flat surface. Spread 1 tablespoon of tapenade on the top of each sandwich. Distribute the tomatoes and capers over the tapenade. Cover the surface with the Scamorza slices and place the remaining three slices of bread on top.
Heat a heavy skillet, preferably made of cast iron, over medium high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the top slice of bread with reserved oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. Invert the sandwiches and place the oiled sides of the sandwiches face down in the skillet. Cook until the bread is toasted. Brush the top of the sandwiches with olive oil and then, using a spatula, flip the sandwiches over to cook on the other side until toasted brown. Continue brushing the sandwiches with olive oil, turning and toasting the sandwich until deep golden brown on both sides and the cheese is completely melted.
To serve, cut the sandwich into quarters. Serves 6 one-half panino each.

Copyright © by Paula Lambert, All rights reserved.

Watermelon Feta Salad

4 cups 1/2 to 3/4 inch seeded watermelon chunks, cold 4 scallions, trimmed to 6" in length, very thinly sliced crosswise 2 Tablespoons minced chives 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind 4 large leaves mint, cut into a fine chiffonade 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 Tablespoon lemon juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 4 ounces feta, crumbled (1 cup)

In a large bowl, combine the watermelon, scallions, chives, lemon rind, and mint. Pour olive oil and lemon juice over and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and toss again. Distribute the crumbled feta over the salad. Toss very gently to distribute the feta throughout the salad.
Refrigerate until serving time.

Serves 6

Copyright © by Paula Lambert, All rights reserved.

Mozzarella Roll Crostini

1 baguette of French bread 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 clove garlic, peeled 8 ounces Mozzarella Roll, any flavor

Preheat the broiler to high.
Cut the baguette at a diagonal angle into 8 slices 1/3” thick. Use a pastry brush to sparingly coat both sides of the bread slices with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and place 3” below broiler. Lightly toast the bread on both sides. Remove the toasts from the broiler.
Turn the oven to 350°F.
Lightly rub each toast with a whole garlic clove on one side of the bread.
Return the toasts to the baking sheet. Slice the Mozzarella Roll thinly into 8 slices, taking care that the spiral filling shows nicely. Top each piece of toast with a slice of Mozzarella Roll, covering the surface of the bread. Transfer the crostini to the oven and bake for a very brief period, less than 5 minutes, until the mozzarella just begins to soften and barely melts. Remove the crostini from the oven and sprinkle very lightly with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Makes 8 Crostini.
Serves 4.

Copyright. The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook & Guide by Paula Lambert, 2000.

Pizza Bianca Verde

Preheat the oven to 450.
In a large skillet, sauté the onion in olive oil over medium heat until caramelized and golden brown in color. Spread the onion over the crust. Tear the Crescenza into pieces and distribute evenly atop the onions. Place in oven on baking stone or pizza pan and cook for about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly all over, and beginning to brown on the top.
Remove from the oven and completely cover the top of the pizza with whole arugula leaves, so that none of the crust or cheese is visible. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and cut into wedges using a pizza wheel or large chefs knife.

Copyright. The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook & Guide by Paula Lambert, 2000.

Quick and Easy Chicken Breasts
with Fresh Mozzarella

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Melt the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chicken breasts and sauté for 6 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides, turning as necessary. Remove the chicken to a plate and keep warm. Deglaze the pan with the wine and simmer briefly to reduce to half its original volume. Return the chicken to the skillet with any meat juices and cook for 1 minute. Place 2 slices of fresh mozzarella on top of each chicken breast, and place 1 sprig of tarragon on top. Cover the pan and remove it from the heat. Set aside in a warm place for a few minutes and let the mozzarella soften and begin to melt. If necessary, return the covered skillet to low heat until the mozzarella softens. Sprinkle with additional salt or pepper, as desired. Remove the garlic.

To serve, spoon some of the sauce over each breast. Serves 4

Copyright. The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook & Guide by Paula Lambert, 2000.

Blue Cheese Quesadillas with Mango Salsa

Mango Salsa 1 mango, peeled, pitted, and finely chopped 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion 2 tablespoons finely chopped jicama or apple 2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper 1 teaspoon (for mild salsa) or 1 tablespoon (for hot salsa) minced fresh jalapeño chile 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 1/4 teaspoon salt

Quesadillas 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled 4 ounces Queso Oaxaca, torn into shreds 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas 4 sprigs fresh cilantro, leaves only 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil Additional fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper, for garnish

Mango Salsa
Place the mango in a medium bowl. Add the onion, jicama, bell pepper, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Mix briefly to combine and set aside. Mango Salsa makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Quesadillas
Combine the blue cheese and Queso Oaxaca. Lay 4 flour tortillas out on a work surface. Sprinkle an equal amount of cheese on each tortilla, spreading it to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Place one-fourth of the minced cilantro on top of each. Place the remaining tortillas on top to form quesadillas.
Preheat the oven to 250º. Heat an 8 to 10 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush both sides of the quesadillas with oil, using about 2 tablespoons in all. Brush the pan with some of the remaining oil. Place 1 quesadilla in the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Remove to a baking sheet. Continue with the remaining quesadillas. Place the quesadillas in the oven and heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and oozy.
To serve, remove the quesadillas from the oven and cut each into quarters. Place 4 overlapping wedges on each individual heated serving plate. Top with 2 tablespoons of salsa. Garnish each with a sprig of cilantro and a sprinkling of bell pepper. Serve warm. Makes 4 quesadillas.

Copyright. The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook & Guide by Paula Lambert, 2000.

Paula’s Mozzarella and Tomato Salad

Arrange the tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter or individual salad plates, overlapping the slices and fanning them out like a deck of cards. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with the basil: Cut it into very thin slices or tear into bits and scatter it on top, or leave the leaves whole and tuck them here and there peeking out between the mozzarella and tomato slices. Serve immediately.
Serves 4

Variations

King of Naples Salad
In addition to the tomatoes and mozzarella, peel and slice an avocado into slices 1/4 inch thick. Brush the avocado with lemon juice to prevent darkening. To serve, arrange on a platter or salad plate overlapping the tomato slices vertically on one side and the avocado slices on the other side with the mozzarella slices down the middle. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the oil and garnish with several sprigs of basil, emanating from the top of the fresh mozzarella like a plume. It is called the King of Naples because the red, white, and green of this dish resemble the royal flag of Italy.

Stacked Mozzarella Tomato Salad
Rather than spreading out the tomato and mozzarella slices, stack them to form towers, each with two slices of tomato and two slices of mozzarella. Make vinaigrette by whisking together 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar, and 1 tablespoon Basil Pesto. Drizzle over the towers and garnish with fresh basil.

Tossed Mozzarella Tomato Salad
Chop the tomatoes and mozzarella into 1/2 inch cubes. Toss with toasted bread cubes or croutons and several fresh basil leaves cut into chiffonade strips. Make a vinaigrette by whisking together 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle over salad and toss gently.  

Copyright. The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook & Guide by Paula Lambert, 2000.

1 ball Fresh Mozzarella (1/2 lb)
1 ripe tomato
Lettuce leaves