As you prepare for festive holiday gatherings and parties think about using dried fruits in your dishes! Stoneridge Orchards offers a variety of especially delicious dried fruits that can be used to perfect your cheese plate or even as a component of your main entree! I was truly amazed at the versatility of dried fruits and how they can be incorporated into my holiday cooking! Here are a few of the delicious dishes prepared and created by Chef Lisa Adams I sampled at a tasting hosted by Stoneridge Orchards in New York City.
Perfect Fruit and Cheese Plate (recipe by Jamie Spooner)
Ingredients:
Variety of Cheeses: Use one aged, one soft, one firm and one blue cheese. Or, try a mix of types such as goat, cow, and sheep cheese.
Variety of Crackers: Have fun with shapes and sizes, baguettes, crackers, and bread sticks make a good mix.
Variety of cured meats: Try prosciutto and salami.
Mixed Nuts: Marcona Almonds and Pistachios, salted.Preserves, honey, chutney, quince or mustard. Seasonal and dried fruits such as Stoneridge Orchards Dried Montomorency cherries, Stoneridge Orchards Dried Blueberries fresh figs, apples and pears.
Method:
- There is an art to creating a beautiful cheese plate.
- Always include a variety of shapes and sizes and a mix of flavors and textures—salty crunchy and sweet.
- Arrange a large board or serving platter with the cheese, crackers, meats, nuts, fruits, and spreads.
- When arranging, avoid crowding, keep ingredients well spaced for visual interest.
Brie, Cherry and Arugula Quesadillas (recipe Chef Lisa Adams)
Ingredients:
Four 8 inch flour tortillas, cut into 3 inch rounds with a biscuit cutter
1/4 cup Stoneridge Orchards Montmorency Cherries
1 cup arugula, finely chopped
1/4 cup Brie Cheese, thinly sliced into 1 inch pieces
Method:
- Preheat a grill pan on the stove over medium heat.
- Lower the heat and arrange the 3 inch tortillas circles on the pan.
- Place a piece of Brie, a sprinkling of the cherries and arugula on top of each round.
- Heat for 20 to 30 seconds until cheese softens.
- Remove from pan and gently fold the circle in half.
- Repeat the process with the remaining tortilla circles.
- Serve while warm.
For more recipes visit the Stoneridge Orchards website.
This is a guest post by Scherrie Donaldson (Thirtymommy). Get social with her on instagram and twitter.