Wizard Recipes

BACON Besides being delicious on its own, bacon lends incomparable flavor to many dishes, such as chowders and other soups, baked beans and collard greens, and savory custards and tarts. There are many types; look for bacon that is free of nitrates and other artificial ingredients.

Thick-sliced bacon, along with its melted fat, provides not only flavor but also a hot dressing for wilting spinach or other greens. The subtler flavor of Canadian bacon (which is also lower in fat and calories than American-style bacon), is an essential component of eggs Benedict.

Pancetta, a traditional Italian bacon, is cured but not smoked; it is highly flavorful and slightly salty, and a small amount is all it takes to flavor pasta sauces and other dishes. All bacon can be tightly wrapped and kept for up to three weeks in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer.

BUTTER Unsalted butter has the purest flavor. It is ideal for all types of cooking, especially baking. European- style butters are also good for baking, especially pastries and shortbread, as well as for spreading at the table. They have a higher percentage of butterfat (typically 83 percent compared to 80 percent) and a richer, more distinctive taste.

CHEESE

Of all the many types of cheese available, the following are among the more versatile. Of course, it’s also nice to keep a supply of favorites, such as Cheddar and Muenster, for making grilled cheese or for quickly putting together an appetizer to share with unexpected guests.

Fontina cheese is a cow’s milk cheese with a mildly sweet, nutty, buttery flavor. Smooth and shot through with tiny holes, fontina is a very good melting cheese and is excellent on pizza and in hot sandwiches.

Goat cheese Made from goat’s milk, this soft and creamy cheese is usually sold in logs or disks; French goat cheeses are often called chevre. Goat cheese is particularly good in egg dishes, salads, sandwiches, and savory tarts, as well as paired with fresh fruit as a light snack or dessert.

Aged goat cheeses are more pungent and often have a rind; they are harder in texture and not generally a good substitute for fresh in recipes (but they are delicious as a snacking cheese). Keep fresh goat cheese, loosely wrapped, in the least cold part of the refrigerator. It should not be frozen, but you may want to pop it in the freezer for five or ten minutes to make it easier to slice.

Gruyere is another wonderful melting cheese, and is traditionally used in making croque-monsieurs.

Parmesan This popular cheese is a hard, dry cheese made from skimmed or partially skimmed cow’s milk. The finest of the many kinds of Parmesan is Parmigiano-Reggiano (the name should be printed on the perimeter of the rind), produced in the Emilia- Romagna region of Italy.

Known for its sumptuous flavor, this cheese can appear at any point of the meal, from hors d’oeuvres to dessert. A good alternative is Pecorino Romano. For the best flavor, buy wedges of cheese (instead of already grated) and grate just before using or serving. To keep Parmesan, wrap it in parchment paper and then plastic, and store it on the bottom shelf (or in the cheese bin) of the refrigerator.

EGGS Eggs come in many sizes; large is the most common and the size most often used in our recipes. Shell color has nothing to do with flavor or nutritional value, but is determined by the breed of the hen.

When buying eggs, check to make sure the eggs are clean and free of cracks, and look on the carton for an expiration date. To store, refrigerate eggs in their original carton; it will help protect the delicate, porous shells from cracking and absorbing odors. Eggs are freshest within a week of purchase, but will keep longer (up to a month).

Cheeses can lie classified by country of origin, ripening method, fat content or texture. Here we classify fine cheeses by texture and have adopted 3 cate­gories for describe and explain the qualities of cheese: fresh or unripened, soft, semi-soft.

Fresh or Unripened Cheeses

Fresh cheeses are uncooked and unripened. Referred to as frontage blanc or fromage frais in French, they are generally mild and creamy with a tart tanginess They should not taste acidic or bitter. Fresh cheeses have a moisture content of 40% to 80% and are highly perishable.

Cream cheese is a soft cow’s-milk cheese from the United States containing approximately 35% fat. It is available in various-sized solid white blocks or whipped and flavored. It is used throughout the kitchen in baking, dips, dressings and confections and is popular as a spread for bagels and toast.

Feta is a semi-soft Greek or Italian product made from sheep’s and/or goat’s milk. It is a white, flaky cheese that is pickled (but not ripened) and stored in brine water, giving it a shelf life of four to six flavor is useful in both sweet and savory sauces as well as desserts. It is also: eaten plain, with fresh fruit, or spread on bread and sprinkled with cocoa a sugar.

Mozzarella is a firm Italian cheese traditionally made with water buffalo’s milk (today, cow’s milk is more common) and containing 40% to 45% fat. Moz­zarella becomes elastic when melted and is well known as “pizza cheese.’ Fresh mozzarella is excellent in salads or topped simply with olive oil and herbs. It is a very mild white cheese best eaten within hours of production Commercial mozzarella is rather bland and rubbery and is best reserved for cooking, for which it may be purchased already shredded.

Ricotta is a soft Italian cheese, similar to American cottage cheese, made from the whey left when other cow’s-milk cheeses are produced. It contains only 4% to 10% fat. It is white or ivory in color and fluffy, with a small grain and sweet flavor. Ricotta is an important ingredient in many pasta dishes and desserts.

Soft Cheeses

Soft cheeses are characterized by their thin skins and creamy centers. They are among the most delicious and popular of cheeses. They ripen quickly and are at their peak for only a few days, sometimes less. Moisture content ranges from 50% to 75%.

Bel paese is a 20th-century Italian creation made from cow’s milk and con­taining approximately 50% fat. It is mild and creamy with a fruity flavor. The inside is yellowish, and the outside is brown or gray. Bel paese is excellent for snacking and melts easily.

Brie is a rind-ripened French cheese made with cow’s milk and contain­ing about 60% fat. Brie is made in round, flat disks weighing 2 or 4 pounds; it is coated with a bloomy white rind. At the peak of, ripeness, it is creamy and rich, with a texture oozes. Selecting a properly ripened Brie is a matter of judgment and experience. Select a cheese that is bulging a bit inside its rind; there should be  just the beginning of a brown coloring on the rind. If underripe, Brie will be bland with a hard, chalky core. Once the cheese is cut, it will not ripen any further. If over­ripe, Brie will have a brownish rind that may be gummy or sagging and will smell strongly of ammonia. The rind is edible, but trim it off if preferred. The classic after-dinner cheese, Brie is also used in soups, sauces and hors d’oeuvres.

Boursin is a triple-cream cow’s-milk cheese from France containing ap­proximately 75% fat. Boursin is usually flavored with peppers, herbs or garlic. It is rindless, with a smooth, creamy texture, and is packed in small, foil-wrapped cylinders. Boursin is a good breakfast cheese and a welcome addi­tion to any cheese board. It is also a popular filling for baked chicken.

Camembert is a rind-ripened cheese from France containing approxi­mately 45% fat. Bavaria also produces a Camembert, though of a somewhat lesser quality. Camembert is creamy, like Brie, but milder. It is shaped in small round or oval disks and is coated with a white bloomy rind. Selecting a properly ripened Camembert is similar to selecting a Brie, but Camembert will become overripe and ammoniated even more quickly than Brie. Camem­bert is an excellent dessert or after-dinner cheese and goes particularly well with fruit.

Semi-Soft Cheeses

Semi-soft cheeses include many mild, buttery cheeses with smooth, sliceable textures. Some semi-soft cheeses are also known as monastery or Trappist Cheeses because their development is traced to monasteries, some recipes hav­ing originated during the Middle Ages. The moisture content of semi-soft cheeses ranges from 40% to 50%.

Doux de Montague is a cow’s-milk cheese from France containing ap­proximately 45% fat. Produced in the foothills of the Pyrenees, it is also re­ferred to as pain de Pyrenees. Doux de Montagne is pale yellow with ir­regular holes and a mellow, sweet, nutty flavor. It is sometimes studded With green peppercorns, which provide a tangy flavor contrast. It is usu­ally shaped in large, slightly squashed spheres and coated with brown wax. Doux de Montagne is good before dinner and for snacking.

Fontina is a cow’s-milk cheese from Italy’s Piedmont region con­taining approximately 45% fat. The original, known as fontina Val D’Aosta. has a dark gold, crusty rind; the pale gold, dense interior has a few small holes. It is nutty and rich. The original must have a purple trademark stamped on the rind. Imitation   fontinas   (known   as fontal or fontinella) are pro­duced in Denmark. France, Swe­den, the United States and other regions of Italy. They tend to be softer, with less depth of flavor, and may have a rubbery texture. Real fontina is a good after-dinner cheese;  the  imitations are often added to sauces, soups or sandwiches.

Gorgonzola is a blue-veined cow’s-milk cheese from Italy containing 48% fat. Gorgonzola has a white or ivory interior with bluish-green veins. It is creamier than Stilton or Roquefort, with a somewhat more pungent, spicy, earthy flavor. White gorgonzola has no veins but a similar flavor, while aged gorgonzola is drier and crumbly with a very strong, sharp flavor. The milder gorgonzolas are excellent with fresh peaches or pears or crumbled in a salad. Gorgonzola is also used in sauces and in the torta con basilico, a cakelike cheese loaf composed of lay­ers of cheese, fresh basil and pine nuts.

Gouda is a Dutch cheese containing approximately 48% fat. Gouda is sold in various-sized wheels covered with red or yellow wax. The cheese is yellow with a few small holes and a mild, buttery flavor. Gouda may be sold soon after production, or it may be aged for several months, resulting in a firmer, more flavorful cheese. Gouda is widely popular for snacking and in fondue.

Havarti is a cow’s-milk monastery-style cheese from Denmark containing 45% to 60% fat. Havarti is also known as Danish Tilsit or by the brand name Dofino. Pale yellow with many small, irregular holes, it is sold in small rounds, rectangular blocks or loaves. Havarti has a mild flavor and creamy tex­ture. It is often flavored with dill, caraway seeds or peppers. Havarti is very popular for snacking and in sandwiches.

Port du Salut is a monastery cow’s-milk product from France containing approximately 50% fat. Port du Salut (also known as Port Salut) is smooth, rich and savoiy. It is shaped in thick wheels with a dense, pale yellow interior and an edible, bright orange rind. The Danish version is known as Esrom. One of the best and most authentic Port du Saluts has the initials S.A.F.R. stamped on the rind. Lesser-quality brands may be bland and rubbery. It is popular for break­fast and snacking, especially with fruit.

Roquefort is a blue-veined sheep’s-milk cheese from France containing approximately 45% fat. One of the oldest cheeses, Roquefort is intensely pun­gent with a rich, salty flavor and strong aroma. It is a white paste with veins:] of blue mold and a thin natural rind shaped into thick, foil-wrapped cylin­ders. Roquefort is always aged for at least three months in the limestone caves of Mount Combalou. Since 1926, no producer outside this region can legally use the name Roquefort or even “Roquefort-style.” Roquefort is an ex­cellent choice for serving before or after dinner and is, of course, essential for Roquefort dressing.

Stilton is a blue-veined cow’s-milk cheese from Great Britain containing 45% fat. Stilton is one of the oldest and grandest cheeses in the world. It has a white or pale yellow interior with evenly spaced blue veins. Stilton’s distinctive flavor is pungent, rich and tangy, combining the best of blues and Cheddars. It is aged in cool ripening rooms for four to six months to develop the blue veining; it is then sold in tall cylinders with a crusty, ed­ible rind. Stilton should be wrapped in a cloth dampened with salt water and stored at cool temperatures, but not refrigerated. It is best served alone, with plain crackers, dried fruit or vintage port.

Cheese (Fr. frontage, It. fromaggio) is one of the oldest and most widely used foods known to man. It is served alone or  as a principal ingredient in or an accompaniment to countless dishes. Cheese is commonly used in  kitchens, appearing in everything from breakfast to snacks to desserts.

Literally hundreds of natural cheeses are produced worldwide. Although their shapes, ages and flavors vary according to local preferences and tradi­tions, all natural cheeses are produced in the same basic fashion as has been used for centuries. Each starts with a mammal’s milk; cows, goats and sheep are the most commonly used.

The milk proteins (known as casein) are coag­ulated with the addition of an enzyme, usually rennet, which is found in calves’ stomachs. As the milk coagulates, it separates into solid curds and liq­uid whey. After draining off the whey, either the curds are made into fresh cheese, such as ricotta or cottage cheese, or the curds are further processed by cutting, kneading and cooking.

The resulting substance, known as “green cheese,” is packed into molds to drain. Salt or special bacteria may lie added to the molded cheeses, which are then allowed to age or ripen under con­trolled conditions to develop the desired texture, color and flavor.

Cheeses are a product of their environment, which is why most fine cheeses cannot be reproduced outside their native locale. The breed and feed of the milk animal, the wild spores and molds in the air and even the wind currents in a storage area can affect the manner in which a cheese develops. (Roque­fort, for example, develops its distinctive flavor from aging in particular caves filled with crosscurrents of cool, moist air.)

Smile cheeses develop a natural rind or surface because of the application of bacteria (bloomy rind) or by repeated washing with brine (washed rind). Most natural rinds may be eaten if desired. Other cheeses are coated with an inedible wax rind to prevent moisture loss. Fresh cheeses have no rind what­soever.

Moisture and fat contents are good indicators of a cheese’s texture and shelf lite The higher the moisture content, the softer the product and the more per­ishable it will be. Low-moisture cheeses may be used for grating and will keep for several weeks if properly stored. (Reduced water activity levels prohibit bacterial growth.) Fat content ranges from low fat (less than 20% fat) to dou­ble cream (at least 60% fat) and triple cream (at least 72% fat). Cheeses with a high fat content will be creamier and have a richer flavor and texture than low­ fat products.

Most cheeses contain high percentages of fat and protein. Cheese is also rich in calcium, phosphorus and vitamin A. As animal products, natural cheeses contain cholesterol, Today, many low-fat, even nonfat, processed cheeses are available. Sodium has also been reduced or eliminated from some modern products.

Making Mozzarella

In Italy, mozzarella is made every day; it is meant to be consumed just as often. Before there was refrigeration, the balls of moz­zarella were stored in well water to keep them cool, which is where the tradition originated of storing fresh mozzarella in liquid.

Once the milk is coagulated and the curds are cut, the mass is slowly stirred to en­hance the whey’s expulsion. A few hours later, when the curds are mature, they are re­moved from the whey, chopped or shredded and then mixed with hot water.

To test the exact amount of maturity, a handful of curds is dipped into a bucket of hot water for 10 seconds. When the curds are removed, they should be kneaded briefly and then, holding the mass with two hands, it should be pulled and stretched out to deter­mine its maturity. When it is exactly ready to be strung, it can be stretched as thin and opaque as tissue paper. At this point, small amounts of curd are dumped into a small vat and stirred with hot water using a paddle. This is known as “stringing” the cheese lie-cause as the curds are mixed with the water they begin to melt somewhat and become stringy. The more the cheese is stirred, the longer the strings are stretched.

Eventually, all the strings come together to make a large mass of satiny-smooth cheese. In Italian, the word fibre means “to string”; therefore, all cheeses that are strung are members of the pasta filata family.

When stringing is complete, the cheese is ready to be shaped and hand-formed into balls. The balls are tossed immediately into vats of cool water so they will maintain the desired shapes. When cool, the balls are im­mersed in brine solution and then wrapped in parchment paper

We start drinking milk from the first day of our life ’till our last, right? And that’s great, because milk is the only complete nutrient: it contains all 3 main nutriments categories (proteins, glucids/carbohydrates and lipids), along with vitamins (A,D,E and B group) and minerals (Calcium, Phosphor, Zinc and Iron)

Advantages:

-Through its high Calcium content it prevents rickets. 1 liter milk per day offers the Calcium needed for perfect bone solidity and development.

-Helps prevent cancer (colon cancer) due to Omega 6 content. Studies have shown a 50 % decrease in cancer incidence on dairy consumers

-Milk contains high quality proteins with essential amino acids which assure best development of tissues and whole organism

-prevents and treats high blood pressure due to high Calcium content

-cheese prevents cavity problems by increasing saliva Ph.

-Calcium from dairies burns fat!

-cheeses contain triptophan, precursory of serotonin, which gives us the good mood we desire so much