Quick Fix with Cheese

I've always loved cheese!  Over the past two years I have discovered new cheeses that are so tasty that I wanted to share some quick cheese-tastic recipes.  In 2010, my husband and I went to Italy where I discovered Gorgonzola. This is a very creamy blue cheese. It is a perfect addition to pizza, stuffed chicken, salad dressings, sauces, steak and pasta. So I thought I would share my Gorgonzola Penne with Arugula with all of you.

You will need:
- 454g of penne or any short pasta
- 200g of Gorgonzola cheese
- 1 cup of cream
- 2 cups of Arugula or baby spinash
- 3/4 cups of tosted nuts (Pecans or Walnuts)

Cook the pasta according to the packaging, in the mean time, eat up the cream.  Once simmering, add the Gorgonzola in chunks and stir until melted.

When ready, drained the pasta, but keep about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.  Mix together the pasta and the cheese sauce, add a little bit of pasta water to thin it out and add the arugula and nuts. Add black pepper generously and serve immediatly.

Another cheese that I really love is Brie.  This is one of the most popular French cheese in the world.  Here are some quick recipes with Brie.


Baguette and Melted Brie
Cut a baguette lengthwise.  Cut thin slices of Brie to cover the bread. Add some chopped hazelnuts and drizzle a little bit of honey. Put in the oven until the cheese is melted, about 7 min at 350 degree oven. Cut in pieces and serve immediately.


Garlic Mash Potato with Brie
Use potatoes of your choise, I personnaly love yellow gold potatoes as they are more creamy. Boil the potatoes with 3 or 4 garlic cloves.  Mash the potatoes as you would normally and add some small pieces of Brie.  Taste your potatoes as you are adding the cheese, and add as much as you want. This will make your potatoes so creamy you will have to call them "Smashed potatoes"!

Fondant with Sweet Onions
This is one dish that I make very often. You will need a small wheel of Brie cheese, 1 onion and 1 table spoon of brown sugar. Preheat the oven to 350 degree.  Slice the onion thinly and sauté in butter in a skillet. Once the onions are translucide, add the sugar and stir until the onions are brown and the sugar makes a nice brown sauce in the bottom of the skillet.

Put the onion mixture on top of the Brie and cook in the oven for about 20 min. Keep an eye on it, as the cheese could expand and burst. Serve with bread and crackers. This will have your guests talking!

There are so many ways of enjoying cheese.  Sure it's always good on bread, but try new things and you won't regret it!