Ina Garten Cheese Ball Food

ULTIMATE CHEESE PLATTER

Steps:

• Arrange the fig leaves in a single layer on a 16- to 18-inch diameter round board or platter.
• Place the grapes in the center of the board. Arrange the cheeses on the board around the grapes, cut sides facing out.
• Nestle the strawberries between two of the cheeses to create a block of color. Nestle the apricots between two of the cheeses, also creating a block of color. Transfer the fig jam to a bowl and place it on the board. Arrange the crackers on the board around the cheeses. If using, place the fig ball on the board, cut sides up.

HERB COEUR A LA CREME

Steps:

• Place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add the cream and then the scallions, dill, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Whisk until firm.
• Line a 6-inch coeur a la creme mold or a 6-inch sieve with a few layers of cheesecloth, allowing the excess to drape over the sides. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the cheesecloth and smooth the top. Fold the excess cheesecloth over the top of the creme. Suspend the sieve over a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to serve, discard the liquid that has collected in the bowl and invert the creme onto a plate. Serve chilled with crackers and a small knife.

BITS AND PIECES PARTY CHEESE BALL

Steps:

• Allow the butter and cheeses to come to room temperature. They should sit out of the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• Put everything except the pecans and parsley in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. It should take about 4 minutes.
• Plop the mixture onto a piece of waxed paper and gently form into a ball. Place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes or until firm enough to work with.
• Mix the pecans and parsley together on a large plate or a cutting board, then roll the cheese ball in the mixture. Cover any surfaces with a sprinkling of the mixture and pat into the sides until you have an evenly coated ball.
• Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready to serve, let the ball sit out for at least a half hour to soften. Serve with good plain crackers or small toasts.

CHEESE PLATTER

Steps:

• Go to the best cheese shop in town and ask the person at the counter which cheeses are ready to serve. Taste everything; they expect you to. We all know that the Brie may look terrific, but it can be underripe and tough or overripe and ammoniated. You want only the freshest cheeses that are perfectly ripened. Take them home, refrigerate them, and then bring them to room temperature a few hours before serving.
• Second, be sure to have a platter or wooden board that is flat and large enough to hold the cheeses without crowding them. Arrange the cheeses with the cut sides facing out, and with several small cheese knives, maybe one for each type of cheese.
• Third, to finish the platter, add sliced breads or crackers, and green leaves. I use either lemon or galax leaves, which you can get from your florist. If you have a garden, any large flat leaf like hydrangea looks beautiful, but be sure they aren't poisonous and are pesticide-free!
• Overall, the simpler the design, the better the platter looks. Group each kind of cheese together and add one large bunch of green or red grapes in the center to create a visual focal point. Fill in the spaces with lots of crackers or small slices of bread.

EASY CHEESE BOARD

Steps:

• Arrange the fig leaves on a round platter. Place the grapes in the middle and the Brie, Cheddar and goat cheese around the grapes. Sprinkle thyme leaves and place a sprig of time on top of the goat cheese and drizzle with olive oil. Add the blue cheese to the cheese arrangement and artfully arrange the apricots, figs and crackers among the cheeses.

ITALIAN CHEESE BOARD

Steps:

• Arrange the fig leaves on top of a board and artfully place the cheeses on top of the leaves. Drizzle olive oil on the smoked mozzarella slices, and sprinkle with fresh pepper. Place the green grapes in the middle, the fig jam in a small bowl, and arrange the grissini, cherries, caramelized walnuts, and crackers in groupings on the board.

CACIO E PEPE CHEESE PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Arrange two racks so they are evenly spaced in the oven.
• In a small saucepan, heat 1 cup milk with the butter, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper over medium just until bubbles start to form around the perimeter and the milk is scalded. (Don't allow it to boil.)
• Add the flour all at once and beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon until it comes together. Lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Dump the mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Immediately add 4 eggs, the Parmesan and pecorino, and pulse until the eggs and cheeses are completely incorporated.
• Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Working in batches, spoon the dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch round pastry tip or a large, gallon-size resealable bag, snipping off a lower corner before piping.
• Pipe the dough onto the sheet pans in 1 1/4-inch-wide, 3/4-inch-high mounds, setting them each 1 inch apart. (You can also use two spoons to scoop the mixture and shape the puffs.) The mounds should be shaped like huge chocolate kisses. Using a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl on top of each puff.
• Prepare the egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg with the remaining 1 teaspoon milk until combined. Brush the top of each puff lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining pecorino; season with salt and pepper.
• Bake the cheese puffs until browned, about 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Serve hot. (If preparing the cheese puffs in advance, you can bake them off, allow them to cool, then freeze them in a sealed resealable bag. Reheat them on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.)

INA GARTEN'S VEGETABLE CREAM CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix gently, until just incorporated.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

PENNE WITH 5 CHEESES ALA BAREFOOT CONTESSA - INA GARTEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook penne for just 4 minutes (or until barely al dente, as it will cook more in the oven); drain well.
• Meanwhile, in a very large mixing bowl, combine the cream, crushed tomatoes, cheeses and basil.
• On the show, very fresh buffalo mozzarella was used, and it was cut into slices and then slivered (much like a julienne); I'm sure shredded mozzarella would work just fine.
• Add cooked, drained penne to sauce and stir well.
• On the show, individual shallow serving dishes were filled with the pasta; I'm sure this could be done in a shallow casserole dish too, such as a 13x9 pan.
• Either fill individual dishes with pasta, as above, or fill an entire shallow dish, then dot butter over surface in small pieces.
• Bake in preheated oven for 7 to 10 minutes, until top is browned.
• On the show, the individual dishes were then refrigerated, uncovered, so that they could be reheated later in the evening; unfortunately, no information was given as to how the dish should be reheated (oven temp, time, etc) so, really, your guess is as good as mine.