Sauce Vierge a la Murray’s from Veritas Restaurant

Veritas means truth, and nothing could be more true than saying we love working with Veritas Restaurant in NYC.  And it just so happens that Chef Sam Hazen Veritas loves Chiarentana’s Leccino extra virgin olive oil. Here Chef Hazen shares his recipe for sauce vierge,  perfect to drizzle over grilled meat or fish or use as a bread dipping sauce.  We whipped this up to give it a try a few days ago over some chicken — which we photographed first of course.  The results were palate-pleasing —  try this at home and tell us what you think!

Sauce Vierge a la Murray’s

1/2 qt. Chiarentana Leccino

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup fine lemon zest (use a good microplane)

Place garlic and lemon in a bowl; pour olive oil over lemon and garlic, and let it infuse for 24 hours.  Then remove the garlic cloves. 

To 1 oz. sauce vierge infused base, add the following:

1/2 Tbs. tomato, concasse (diced)

1/2 tsp. basil, chiffonade

1/2 tsp. tarragon leaves, torn

1/8 tsp. toasted coriander seed, crushed

1/2 tsp. aged balsamic vinegar

1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Mix as needed.  Use as a bread dipping sauce or drizzle over grilled fish or chicken.

Super Bowl Recipe: Cielo’s Favorite Super Cheddar Soup

Cielo has been the main man of Bleecker Street for 16 years now, so when he says something is good, you KNOW it is. Right now he’s loving the cheddar ale soup we’re dishing out to our lunch crowd. It’s been super popular with the crowd and we’ve been making as much as we can to meet demand. We’re worried our cooktop is starting to wear down from all the soup we’ve been making, thank goodness for services like https:www.BeaumontApplianceFix.com who can fix it if it truly starts breaking down. That’s the power of this soup and you can try it at home with our super-simple recipe, and don’t worry; You don’t need an industrial cooktop like ours to make it. Something like one of the best induction hob options, or even just a gas stove, will work just fine!

Cheddar Ale Soup

2 medium leeks (white/pale green parts only), cut into ¼-inch dice (2 cups)

2 medium carrots cut into ¼ -inch dice (1 cup)

2 celery ribs, cut into ¼-inch dice (1 cup)

2 tsp finely chopped garlic

1 bay leaf

½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

14oz. low sodium chicken broth

1 (12oz.) bottle ale such as Bass

½ TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 lb Hennings Cheddar Cheese, grated (4 cups)

4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Wash leeks in a bowl of cold water, letting sand/dirt fall to the bottom and skimming the leeks off of the top. Drain in a colander.

Cook leeks, carrots, celery, garlic and bay leaf in butter in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and sprinkle flour over vegetable, then cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes.

Add milk, broth, and beer in a stream, whisking, then simmer, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. (For a smoother soup discard bay leaf, then puree in a blender, or use an immersion blender at this point).

Stir in Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, and pepper. Add cheese by handfuls, stirring occasionally, and cook until cheese is melted, 3-4 minutes (do not boil). Adjust seasoning as needed.

Serve sprinkled with bacon.

Super Bowl Recipe: Smokey Blue Cheese Dip

Nobody is more patriotic than Murray’s Field Merchandising Specialist Nathan Aldridge (see photographic evidence). As such, one of Nathan’s favorite holidays is coming up soon: Super Bowl Sunday! He’s such a big fan that he follows all of the playoffs and even bets on them on https://www.fanduel.com/nfl-playoffs-super-bowl! Of course, so many others also bet on the Super Bowl as it is one of the biggest sporting events in the calendar. Betting on sports seems to be so popular these days, with sites like mega888 bringing people into the idea, so it is important that people look around first before they choose an online betting service. Be sure to look at the odds and compare them to others, making sure you find the best deal for your bet. Perhaps some people would like to learn more about ATS.io and their betting odds (see them here). That should help you to find the best odds for Super Bowl Sunday! This year, make Nathan’s blue cheese dip the highlight of your viewing party.

As a cheesemonger I’ve been asked many times for my suggestions for parties, gatherings, weddings, birthdays, you name it. This time of year however, I do not wait to be asked for my educated opinion. I yell it from the mountain tops! You can’t watch the Super Bowl without eating chicken wings, and you can’t eat chicken wings without blue cheese dressing! That would be like watching the Super Bowl and skipping the commercials.

My favorite Super Bowl Blue Cheese is Rogue Creamery’s Smokey Blue. For the last 5 years, this dip has been the highlight of every ceremonial chicken wing eating event I have hosted(aka the Super Bowl). The smokiness of this particular blue cheese adds a rustic, woodsy flavor to the dip. It’s also delightful with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and celery (for those of you who like to nibble on the lighter side).

Smokey Blue Cheese Dressing

1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
dash black pepper
1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/4 c milk
2 tbsp. vinegar
2c mayonnaise
3/4c crumbled Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue

Directions:
Blend together dry spices then add the Worscestershire sauce. Add the milk then let sit for a few minutes, to dissolve the spices. Have the mayonnaise measured out as well as the smokey blue cheese crumbles before you add the vinegar to the milk mixture.

Add the vinegar to the milk mixture. It will start to curdle: this is normal.

Add the mayonnaise and whisk together well. When blended, add the Smokey Blue crumbles.

The longer you let the dressing refrigerate, the better the flavor will be. I suggest preparing 2 days before chow time.

Yield: 3 cups (if you need to make more, make 2 batches, DO NOT double the recipe, the flavors will not blend as well.)

Enjoy! You can thank me later.

Thanksgiving Recipe: Thanksgrilled Cheese



Featuring Spring Brook Tarentaise & Fresh Ricotta

From Chef & Fromager Tia Keenan

You know you’re going to have some serious leftovers after your Thanksgiving feast. We all make sandwiches, but why stick with the predictable? This is the most delicious and decadent Thanksgiving leftover sandwich we’ve ever heard of….don’t worry, we’ll understand if you skip the meal and go straight to the leftover phase.

For the bread:
4 slices of Brioche or whatever bread or rolls you have around.
1 pint Half & Half
3 eggs
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Zest of one lemon
Non-stick spray

1.Whisk half & half and eggs until thoroughly blended. Add Pumpkin Pie Spice and lemon zest and blend thoroughly.
2. Place bread in a shallow dish and pour liquid over bread. Turn the bread once to coat with liquid, cover, and refrigerate for at least two hours.

For the filling:
Leftover: Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, Yams or Sweet Potato (pureed)
4 ounces fresh cheese, such as ricotta or chevre
4 ounces Spring Brook Tarentaise, grated

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Remove the bread from the refrigerator.
3. Spray a skillet with non-stick spray and place over medium heat. Cook the bread on each side until crisp and dark brown. Be patient, bread should cook for about 15 minutes on each side.
4. When bread is done, assemble the sandwich. Begin with a generous smear of Yam puree, then fresh cheese, turkey, Tarentaise and cranberry sauce.
5. Place in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, approximately 15 minutes.
6. Slice the sandwiches into halves and serve with a side of gravy.

Thanksgiving Recipe: Scalloped Roots & Tubers


Scalloped Roots & Tubers

Featuring Cabot Clothbound Cheddar  & Spring Brook Tarentaise

From Chef de Cuisine Brendan Corr of Co. NYC

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate everything our great country has to offer. Chef Corr has provided us with the perfect recipe for that purpose – using not only the seasonal bounty from our nation’s vegetable farmers, but two of the finest made-in-the-USA cheeses we can think of. As patriotic as waving a flag, but more delicious, this dish has a place on every Thanksgiving table.

4 lbs mixed celeriac and sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes)

1 1/2 T Black Pepper

2 t Salt

6 cups whole milk

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)

3/4 lb Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, grated or crumbled

3/4 lb Spring Brook Tarentaise, grated

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Wash and trim celeriac and sunchokes, then slice into discs of equal thickness.
3. In a large pot, combine milk, celeriac, sunchokes, salt & pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to let the milk scald.
4. Remove vegetables and set aside.
5. In a separate pot, melt the butter and mix in the flour until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. Cook, stirring constantly, until it bubbles, but don’t let it brown.
6. Add the milk to the butter and flour mixture, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil, then cook for 2-3 minutes more until the mixture thickens (this is Bechamel sauce).
7. Mix the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar and Spring Brook Tarentaise cheeses and stir to combine with vegetables.
8. Layer vegetables in a 9 x 13 baking dish, pour the Bechamel on top, making sure that it covers everything.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour until cheese is melted and vegetables are golden brown.