Unexpected Sweetness
Sticky Toffee pudding is well known as the traditional English dessert, but what about Sticky Toffee– the cheese? Coombe Castle has the original Sticky Toffee Cheese, which is a perfect blend of mild, English cheddar with just the right flavor and texture to compliment the traditional ingredients of Sticky Toffee pudding: toffee, dates and raisins. If there is ever a cheese that can be used to break the silence, Sticky Toffee Cheese’s unexpected sweetness is the ultimate conversation starter. The look of surprise-meets-joy on someone new trying this unique treat is contagious.
Really, there is never a time of year not to add a little sweetness and uniqueness into life, but October tends to start a sweet embrace that lasts through to the new year. Halloween, holiday parties, family gatherings… opportunities for trying new things or presenting this opportunity for others are plentiful.
In October, at the request of igourmet.com (a leading online gourmet food retailer in the States), Sticky Toffee Cheese made its way to represent England at the annual Fork & the Cork event in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Sticky Toffee Cheese was, by far, the favorite and most commented on cheese at Great Britain, spurring many repeat tasters to the counter or those shepherding another with the call, “You’ve got to try this!” When one friend or spouse was waiting for the Sticky Toffee Cheese to hit the other’s taste buds, the knowing look of anticipation from the first taster was equally as riviting as the reaction from the new taster.
Setting up at the 2011 Fork & the Cork
But it’s not just in Pennsylvania where people have a tooth for the sweet….
The Culinary Arts students at Newtown High School — yes a high school with a wonderful program for young, aspiring chefs — in Connecticut, eagerly took samples of Sticky Toffee Cheese to explore in their studies. Sticky Toffee Cheese turned out to be a great practice “secret ingredient” for the Newtown team’s upcoming Naugatuck Valley Community College Iron Chef Competition.
Newtown Iron Chef Team Captain tasting Sticky Toffee Cheese
Devising a recipe for Sticky Toffee Cheese
Here are some great recipes the Newtown Chefs came up with:
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with White Chocolate and Sticky Toffee Cheese
Ingredients:
· Unsalted butter, for the pan
· 8cups 1/2-inch cubed cinnamon swirl bread
· 2cups heavy cream
· 1cup whole milk
· 1cup white chocolate chips
· 6large egg yolks
· 1/2cup sugar
· ½pound Coombe Castle Int. Sticky Toffee Cheese
· 1cup canned pumpkin puree, not flavored pie filling
· 2 tablespoons bourbon
· 2Tbs. brown sugar
· 2Tbs butter
Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to325°F. Butter a 10-inch glass baking dish.
2. Spread the bread cubes on a large baking sheet and bake in the oven, turning once, until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
3. Combine the cream, milk and 1/4 cup white chocolate in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to asimmer.
4. Whisk together the yolks, sugar, ¾ white chocolate, ¾ Sticky Toffee cheese and pumpkin puree in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture until combined. Whisk in the bourbon.
5. Scatter the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Pour the custard over the bread, pressing down on the bread to totally submerge it in the custard. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow the bread to soak up some of the custard.
6. Place the dish in a larger roasting pan and pour hot water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the glass dish. Bake until the sides are slightly puffed and the center jiggles slightly, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and the water bath and cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.
7. While cooking cook 2 Tbsbutter and 2 Tbs brown sugar over medium-low heat until amber brown (2-3 min)
8. Once desired color slowly add heavy cream until thickened (5 Min.)
9. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup of Sticky Toffee cheese over the bread pudding and drizzle with caramel sauce.
Apple-Pear and Sticky Toffee cheese cobbler topped with curry meringue
Ingredients:
· 1pear
· 1apple
· ¼cup Sticky Toffee cheese
· 4individual fillo dough baking cups
· 1tbs ground curry
· 2eggs
· 3.5tbs sugar
· 1 ts ground cinnamon
Preparation:
1.) Separate both eggs keeping nothing but the egg whites in a small bowl.
2.) Whip eggs in an electronic mixer until completely covered in foam.
3.) Add in a mixture of 3 Tbs sugar and 1 Tbs curry slowly until creamy consistency.
4.) Scoop out mixture onto a sheet pan and bake at 200 degrees for 1 ½ hours- 2 hours, until dry.
5.) While cooking, dice both apple and pear into ½ inch cube.
6.) Caramelize the apple and pear using ½ tbs sugar and 1 ts cinnamon until soft, remove from heat.
7.) Add mixture of pear and apple with the Sticky Toffee cheese and mix.
8.) Pack mixture into the fillo cups and top with meringue
Savory pancake with pancetta and sticky toffee cheese with caramelized pears and lemon parsley crema
Ingredients:
· 1cup pancetta
· 1cup Sticky Toffee cheese
· 1pear
· 1/8cup parsley
· 1lemon
· 1cup sour cream
Pancakes-
· 2cups flour
· ½ ts baking soda
· 1ts baking powder
· 1 ts salt
· ¾ ts sugar
· 2eggs, separated
· 2cups buttermilk
· 4tbs melted butter
Preperation:
1.) Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar in large bowl and mix.
2.) Whisk together egg whites and buttermilk in a small bowl.
3.) In another bowl whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter
4.) Combine the two mixtures and whisk until combined.
5.) Add this mixtue to the dry mix and whisk thouroughly without lumps.
6.) Finely dice the pancetta and cheese and add to pancake mix.
7.) In a non-stick pan melt ½ ts butter and ladle a pancake about 2 in in diameter cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.
8.) In another pan melt 12 ts butter and 1 ts sugar
9.) Slice pears and add to pan.
10.) Cook until carmalized and soft.
11.) In a small bowl mix sour cream and 1tbs lemon juice.
12.) finely mince parsley and add tocrema and mix
Sticky Toffee Pancakes with Carmalized Pears
***AT THE TIME OF THIS POST, IT IS UNCLEAR IF THE NEWTOWN HIGH SCHOOL CAME IN FIRST OR SECOND AT THEIR IRON CHEF COMPETITION. THE SECRET INGREDIENT WAS… FENNEL.