Hey guys, help me out with this gorgonzola

[siduri]

Sorry for posting this again, but i think i chose a bad title - got only two replies and they didn;t address the question. But i need help from some of you experienced people - especially because tomorrow i have to do the shopping. Come on, I help you all the time!

I'm having a big christmas party on wednesday.

Despite my great efforts and interesting and complex recipes, the things people like most are the roast turkey (yeah, weird isn;t it - they think the easiest thing is the most amazing - nobody does a whole turkey here) and the baked bries and camemberts in puff pastry. (I don;t make the puff pastry myself in this case since i'm doing a lot of cooking - i buy it frozen).

I've come up with a couple of interesting variations to be spread on top before wrapping:
caramelized onion and dried cranberry;
Caramelized onion and apples.

However I wanted to make more of these since they go right away and are so easy to make. I'm hoping for some feedback

Question 1 - honey-caramelized nuts?
There's a trend now here to serve honey with cheeses, especially with sharp or smelly cheese like gorgonzola.

I wondered if I could caramelize some walnuts and, since someone is allergic to nuts, some pistachios, in greek honey and spread on top.

I was thinking like they make nut brittle, but with honey boiled down to a hard crack stage, then toss the nuts in it. It would then be more nuts (or pistachios) than honey
Can you do that with honey? does this make any sense? Should I just put nuts and honey on top? I thought that boiling it down and just coating the nuts or pistachios would mean a little less sweet, and that slightly caramelized flavor that is so nice with nuts.

question 2 - can you do gorgonzola?
Once i tried to make this with a piece of brie, and the brie melted all over the place and oozed completely out of the pastry. I realized the skin of the brie kept it in place so i make only whole bries and camemberts this way.

But maybe there is a way? When i did it i wrapped the brie piece in puff pastry and sealed with egg, but then turned it over and put the seams down so the top would be smooth and i could paste little leaves on it. Gorgonzola comes in chunks and I thought gorgonzola would be wonderful in this, but then will it melt out since it has no skin?

What if i made a little basket of puff pastry, laying the gorgonzola and honey or whatever on top of the sheet of pastry with plenty to spare, then pulled up the sides and gathered them on top so they sort of stick up, but squeezed together? I know you can use phillo pastry, but that is next to impossible to find here. I would imagine if it melted it would remain in this little basket. Then I'd serve warm not hot.
The idea of warm gorgonzola with nuts and honey is very appealing and is making my mouth water even as I write and it's not even 9AM!

Help me figure this out!
thanks, as always,
Siduri

 

[dc sunshine]

Why not make some praline "shards" to go with it? I don't know if you can do gorgonzola like the other chesses but can't see why not.

One suggestion to hold the gorgonzola inside the pastry. Make some thin crepes, wrap the cheese in these before putting onto the pastry and wrapping. It could work Just the same way aas some do their beef wellingtons.

Let us know how it works out.

 

[siduri]

Thanks DC. But do you think you can make praline from honey?
will it be a waste of honey or can it be good?
and will the crepe make a kind of too soft coating around the cheese?

 

[suzanne]

I think somewhere I've seen something like this: slice the Brie in half to make two round layers. Coat the top (cut cheese) of the bottom with the honey and chopped nuts, then put the other piece back (rind on top). Wrap the whole thing in pastry and bake. So much easier than trying to boil down the honey -- which I fear might get too strong a flavor as well as too concentrated sweetness.

As for the Gorgonzola -- what if you were to mash it up, spread it on a sheet of pastry, roll that, chill, cut into slices, and bake? You could sprinkle something sweet on top, or spread it on the pastry before you put on the cheese. A little Gorgonzola goes a long way, and having a large chunk could be very, very strong.

(I would have answered sooner, but baked Brie isn't really my thing. But once you mentioned Gorgonzola, you got my attention! )

 

[dc sunshine]

Hmmm now that you mention it, maybe not. Maybe someone with more knowledge could help.

 

[gonefishin]

Hi Siduri

It's tough to offer an idea without knowing everyones tastes. It also seems like you want to go into a certain direction, which is great. Find out what it is you want, then do it. Are you trying to do a cheese roll rather than a plate?

I've always enjoy reading about how you cook and the ideas you have. But this time your trying to do a bit much for my tastes. I would prefer to pair the honey with some apples/pears and maybe some Panzanella crackers. The have the walnuts (or ?) separate and a few of your cheeses, including the blue, Brie, etc.

This way you could spend your time elsewhere>>>

something simple...just my two cents worth

Happy Holidays!
dan

 

[jkgourmet]

I don't know about the nuts or the honey or the puff pastry - sorry. But I DO know that Cambezola might be a better choice than gorgonzola. It melts more evenly and is far less salty. I've had baked Cambezola and it was lovely.

 

[siduri]

Aha, i knew i was making a mistake mentioning the brie. Over there it is ho hum, but believe me they think it's the end of the world (to translate an italian expression a bit too literally)
that's why i changed it and mentioned gorgonzola in the title.
anyway, thanks Suzanne, good ideas.

 

[siduri]

Hi Gonefishin. No cheese platter, too expensive, because you really need good cheese if you're going to do that. Anyway, italians have plenty of good cheese wherever they turn. They don;t need me to give it to them. And there is no "simple" in this party, the whole thing is sort of a babette's feast. But anyway, to answer your question, I wanted to bake the cheese in a casing of puff pastry, with something on top. I can get pretty decent bries and camemberts here at this french supermarket chain, and of course gorgonzola is everywhere. Not too expensive.
What i can't get with money, I make up with art.
hey, that could be a motto!
buone feste to you too.

jkgourmet, I don;t know what cambesola is. Gorgonzola is a town, and the cheese is named after it. Like parmigiano, from parma, it's got a doc kind of seal on it. Or is cambesola maybe a half gorgonzola half camembert? Happy holidays to you too.

 

[petalsandcoco]

Maybe Roasted figs with gorgonzola and honey.

Pears in Marsala, then drizzled with honey with the gorg...

Grilled pears with gorgonzola drizzled with honey and walnuts

Honey glazed apples

Apples set in a lemon wash then dried and sliced in circles , plated with crumbled gorg and honey and choice of nuts

Baked Focaccia (at warm state not hot ) crumbled gorgonzola, drizzled with honey, topped with nuts, cut into 2-3 bite servings.

A thought.

 

[jkgourmet]

Sorry - I didn't realize that you were located outside of the USA.

From Wikipedia:
Cambozola is a cow's milk cheese that is a combination of a French soft-ripened triple cream cheese and Italian Gorgonzola. It was patented and industrially produced for the world market by large German company Champignon in the 1970s. The cheese was invented circa 1900 and is still produced by Champignon. In English-speaking countries, cambozola is often marketed as blue brie.
It is made from the same blue Penicillium roqueforti mold used to make Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and Stilton. Cream is added to the milk, giving Cambozola a rich consistency. The rind of the cheese is similar to the Camembert rind. Cambozola is considerably milder than Gorgonzola. It features a smooth, creamy texture with a subdued blue flavor.

Here's a link to the product website. It's quite popular in the US as so many people in the US find the taste of Blue cheese and Gorgonzola a bit strong. (silly as that seems to me.

PS - sorry about all the link in the wiki - I don't know how to remove them.

 

[siduri]

Sounds interesting. Not likely to be sold here though.

 

[siduri]

roasted fresh figs? not available in this season, but that sounds great.
I wanted to bake the cheese in a crust, though, and am afraid it will become all runny and seep out. That's the question.

 

[siduri]

tried carmelizing honey, and the smell was foul, but the taste is not (strange).
Then tossed it with pistachios, put a little on top of a piece of gorgonzola, wrapped in parchment and heated in the microwave. I heated it too much and it pretty much melted away, but the taste was good - the honey was bitter-sweet, interesting with the cheese and pistachio.
will let you know after wednesday how it came out - I'm sure the hungry hordes will eat anything, but I have to like it.

 

[ed buchanan]

Above, you mentioned puff paste like pockets. Here in the states we make an item called Beggers Purses which is the same as what you describe . You cut a small circle or square from puff paste, egg wash it fill it with anything, bring all sides up too center, squeeze with thumb and forefinger and ''walla'' your done. Gorg cheese and a dollop of cranberry sauce /or brie with a raspberry,/ or romano and cream cheese mixed with ground toasted pine nuts. YUM Yum

 

[siduri]

thanks hefed
that's what i wanted to know, that the gorgonzola will still be recognizable after cooking and not turn into stinky soup.
thanks

 

[ed buchanan]

Most cheese apps in pastry. by the time guest gets it are not boiling hot anymore and it will have time to set a bit and congeal . I blend most of my cheeses with cream cheese to bring them down a bit and stay together.:chef:

 

[siduri]

Now that's the kind of advice I was looking for. thanks ed

 

[greyeaglem]

You could try coating the nuts in the honey and then spreading on a sheet pan and baking in a slow oven to dry the honey. That's how they make granola and energy bars.

 

[fl italian]

Siduri,

Actually, you should have pears & apples in season and you could 'hollow out' slices of each to hold the Gorgonzola, sort of bowl like and wrap them as Chef Ed suggests. Sealing them on the top would keep the stuffing in and you could then 'dip' them into your sauce.

Now, for the next question... what time should I be there!!!??

Buon Natale Siduri!!! Buona Festa!