Spicy Marinated Cheese

Spicy marinated cheese is not just pretty, it’s also delicious! It’s the perfect party food for the cheese lovers in your life. 

Personally I can, and often did, eat cheese in prodigious quantities sliced straight off the block or wedge. In fact, in a recent conversation with my primary care physician, I blamed cheese for my high cholesterol and (ahem) I’ve been cutting down on its consumption since. I’ve never smoked and I’m not much of a sweet eater. After alcohol, I’d call cheese my second vice. 

It’s hard to resist. 

I've been pretty good for weeks but today I’m going to eat spicy marinated cheese! My friend and fellow blogger Camilla is hosting our Sunday FunDay event today and she chose the theme holiday cheese boards, saying “Let's share recipes or tips for making holiday cheese boards. Think phyllo-wrapped baked cheeses, pickle relishes, homemade crackers, spiced nuts, and more. Anything you would put on a cheese board is fair game. Be as creative as you like!” This is like permission, right? 

Make sure you scroll down past my recipe to see what everyone else has made. 

Spicy Marinated Cheese

Start this recipe early in the day because it’s best if the cheese has at least eight hours to marinate. It can also be made one day ahead. My recipe is adapted from one on the blog The Kitchen is my Playground. 

Ingredients

8 oz or 227g block extra sharp cheddar cheese

8 oz or 227g block cream cheese

For the marinade:

1 red bell pepper aka (Br.E. capsicum)

3 cloves garlic

1 hot red chili pepper

1/2 cup or 120ml white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup or 120ml extra-virgin olive oil

small bunch fresh parsley, leaves picked off

2 green onion tops, green part only

small bunch fresh basil, leaves picked off

few good grinds black pepper

Method

The first step in this recipe is to put your two cheeses in the freezer. They are much easier to slice neatly when well chilled. 

Secondly, we’ll roast the outside of the bell pepper in order to peel it. You can put it in a baking pan and use the broiler (making sure to turn the pepper often) or use a long fork to hold the red pepper over your gas stove till it chars and bubbles all over. 

Either way, once the pepper is properly charred, pop it in a plastic bag and close. Set aside. Once cooled, the peel will slip right off.

Mince the garlic and the hot chili pepper. Put them both in a clean jar with the vinegar. Add in the sugar and salt and give the jar a swish to help them dissolve. The vinegar helps reduce the sharpness of the garlic and chili pepper while simultaneously being infused with their flavors.  

Finely chop your parsley, onion tops and basil. Add the olive oil to the marinade jar along with the herbs. Give the jar a good shake. 

Use your clean hands to remove all of the skin off the bell pepper and a sharp knife to remove the core. Discard the seeds. Cut half of the bell pepper into thin strips, then small cubes. Run a knife through these a few times to mince. 

(Save the other half of the bell pepper for another recipe. It can be used in place of the jar of pimentos in my spicy pimento cheese recipe.)

Add the bell pepper to the marinade jar along with a few good grinds of black pepper and shake well to combine. 

Cut the block of cheddar in half lengthwise; then cut it crosswise into 1/4 in or 1/2 cm thick slices. Lay the cheddar out single file on your cutting board. 

Cut the cream cheese block in half lengthwise and put half back in the freezer. Cut the cream cheese in similarly thick slices. As you cut the cream cheese, place each piece on top of a piece of cheddar. This makes the cream cheese easier to handle because as it softens up, it will stick to whatever you set it on and it’s easier to handle if that’s not the cutting board. Get the other half out of the freezer and slice it up too, still setting each slice on top of the cheddar. 

Arrange your pairs of cheese slices in as small a dish as possible where they will fit comfortably without being too crowded. 

Give the marinade another good shake then spoon the more solid bits over the cheese squares. 

Pour the rest of the marinade over. 

Cover the dish with cling film and refrigerate it for at least eight hours.

To serve, transfer the cheese to a serving platter and spoon a little of the marinade over it. 

Save the rest of the marinade to use as salad dressing. It makes a wonderful vinaigrette. 

Serve the spicy marinated cheese with crackers or sliced baguette.

Enjoy! 

Check out all the other holiday cheese board posts my Sunday FunDay friends are sharing! Many thanks to Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla for this fun theme and for hosting!

• Breakfast Charcuterie Board by Palatable Pastime
• Cheese Boards: A Feast for the Eyes and the Tastebuds by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Holiday Cheese Board Ideas by Making Miracles
• Homemade Grilled Veggie Cottage Cheese by Sneha's Recipe
• Honey Thyme Feta by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Spicy Marinated Cheese by Food Lust People Love

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Sour Cream Vanilla Bundt #BundtBakers

Sour cream, instant pudding and white chocolate chips make this sour cream vanilla Bundt so rich and decadent that everyone will want more than one slice. Top it all off with vanilla glaze and festive sprinkles!

Just like the Grinch, a few days ago I got an idea. Mine, however, wasn’t a awful idea or even a wonderful awful idea. It was just wonderful. Unless you are my husband who is the resident roux maker in our house for whom my idea meant a lot of work! Fortunately, he is a good sport. 

So here is my idea. 1. Make a huge pot of chicken and sausage gumbo. 2. Advertise to my neighborhood on NextDoor that they could “buy” a quart of gumbo (with 2 cups of cooked rice in a separate container) by sending me a donation for the Houston Food Bank. I’d pay for the ingredients and containers so all proceeds would be donated.

I am very pleased to say that I had several takers and just sent the food bank $90! Actually, the donation was $95 because – and perhaps you didn’t know this so I’m pleased to tell you – if you select a favorite charity on Paypal, they send you $5 to make a charitable donation.

I am currently taking orders for a new pot of gumbo! Meanwhile, I baked this cake for a lovely lady, also on NextDoor, who sounded like she needed some this holiday season. She is collecting toys for the children in her apartment complex so I was happy to contribute as well. ‘Tis the season after all. 

Sour Cream Vanilla Bundt

This recipe is adapted from several I found on the internet. Many called for cake mixes with instant pudding already in but where’s the fun in that? I prefer to start from scratch when I have the time. Still the easiest cake ever - one bowl!

Ingredients

For the Bundt:

Butter for buttering the pan

3 and 2/3 cups or 440g cake flour, plus extra for the pan

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups or 300g granulated sugar

1/2 cup or 100g light brown sugar

1 box (3.4 oz or 96g) instant French vanilla pudding

16 oz or 473ml sour cream

3 eggs

1/3 cup or 80ml canola or other light oil

1/2 cup or 120ml water

1 cup or 170g white chocolate chips

For the glaze:

1 1/2 cups or 190g powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

To decorate: festive seasonal sprinkles

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Liberally butter a 10-inch Bundt pan and then dust it with flour. Don’t skimp on this job. The white chocolate chips that end up on the outside of the cake tend to want to stick to the pan and nobody wants that. 

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the cake attachment combine all the cake ingredients.

I include the white chocolate chips because they come out of the bag with some of them stuck together. The beaters help separate them. 

Mix on low for 30 seconds until combined.

Scrape down the bowl and beat again on medium speed until smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes.

Spoon or pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan. 

Bake the Bundt for 55-60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If it starts to brown too quickly before it’s done, cover the top with foil.

Leave the Bundt to cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.

Invert it onto the wire rack so it can cool completely before glazing. 

Make the glaze by stirring together the sugar and vanilla with two tablespoons of milk. If necessary add the last tablespoon of milk a little at time until you get good pouring consistency. 

Pour the glaze over the Bundt. Immediately sprinkle on your decorations so that they will stick before the glaze dries. 

Let the glaze set before cutting the Bundt to serve. 

Enjoy!

This month my Bundt Bakers group’s theme is Red and Green. Many thanks to our host, Rebekah of Making Miracles. Check out all the links below. 

• Avocado Bundt Cake With Strawberry Glaze by Sneha's Recipe
• Christmas Bundt Cake with Almond and Orange by Patyco Candybar
• Christmas Marble Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
• Christmas Wreath Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Kentucky Butter Cake by Sweet Sensations
• Matcha Mochi Bundt Cake by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Pistachio Rose and Tutti Fruity Bundt Cake by Magical Ingredients
• Red Velvet Cream Cheese Bundt by Palatable Pastime
• Sour Cream Vanilla Bundt by Food Lust People Love

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

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Bourbon Raisin Butterscotch Pear Bread Pudding

This Bourbon Raisin Butterscotch Pear Bread Pudding is a decadent and delicious adult treat. Make it kid-friendly by subbing apple juice.

When I was growing up, and thinking about it reasonably it’s probably still true today, cakes in South American all seemed to have liquor or liqueurs as flavoring. Even cakes made for a child’s birthday party were soaked in it! Young me hated them. 

Now I see the allure. As long as it’s not overdone, the alcohol adds a little punch of flavor, not unlike adding vanilla but more grown up. One of my favorite ways to add alcohol to a bake is by soaking raisins in it.

If you agree, you might want to bake my rum raisin banana muffins, my whiskey raisin oatmeal bars, or my rum raisin butter Bundt with rum honey glaze.

Once again, this is not a sponsored post but my key ingredient, the butterscotch pears, were a gift from Melissa’s Produce as part of a promotion for their Family Baking Challenge. Lots of great prizes to win including a KitchenAid mixer! You can find all the details on their website! 

Bourbon Raisin Butterscotch Pear Bread Pudding

I used our favorite bourbon – Bulleit - to soak my golden raisins but if you are not a bourbon fan, substitute your favorite tipple. If you need to keep this kid-friendly, use apple juice instead. As you will see in the photos, I used Sara Lee brioche. Substitute your favorite loaf. This recipe is adapted from one on the Melissa’s Produce website. 

Ingredients 

For the bread pudding:

1 cup, loosely packed, or 120g golden raisins

1/2 cup or 120ml bourbon 

2 large Butterscotch Pears (approx. weight = 780g)

Zest 1 small lemon 

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup or 57g butter, plus extra for the pan

3/4 cup or 150g granulated sugar, divided

6 cups or about 265g cubed stale brioche bread (This was 9 slices of the Sara Lee.)

4 eggs

1 cup or 240ml whipping cream 

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch salt

For serving: 

Whipping cream

Method

Warm the bourbon slightly in a microwave or small pot on the stove and then pour it over the raisins in a small bowl. Cover with cling film and set aside. 

Preheat your oven to 325°F or 163°C. The original recipe uses an 8x8 in or 20x20cm baking dish but you will see from the photos, I decided to use disposable aluminum pans to make sharing this delicious pudding easier, which means that I was effectively using an 8x10 in or 20x25cm pan. The bread pudding turns out slightly less deep but still wonderful. Butter whichever pan or pans you decide to use and set aside. 

Core and peel the pears then toss them in a large bowl with the lemon juice to stop them from turning brown.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add a 1/2 cup or 100g of the sugar and stir until combined. Add the pear slices in an even layer. 

Cook, without stirring for 8 minutes until the sugar and fruit begin to caramelize. 

Flip the slices and cook for a further 5-8 minutes until both the fruit and the caramel are golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat. 

Meanwhile, prepare the custard by whisking the eggs in a large bowl, then adding the remaining 1/4 cup or 50g sugar, cream, milk, vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon and salt.  Whisk again to combine. 

Drain the raisins and reserve the bourbon that wasn’t soaked up. Set aside a small handful for topping.

Spread half of the bread cubes into the prepared pan. Top with half of the raisins. Add a second layer with the rest of the bread cubes and top with the rest of the raisins.

Pour the custard mixture over the bread. Press down to make sure all cubes are soaked.  

Layer pear slices evenly over the top of the bread mixture. Top with remaining caramel from the skillet and the handful of reserved raisins.  

Bake for 55-65 minutes until fully set. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes. 

Pour the reserved bourbon over the top, if desired, and leave it to soak in. 

At our house bread pudding is always accompanied by a generous pour of whipping cream. 

Enjoy! 

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