Holiday Cheese Tortes

Looking for a fabulous, easy holiday recipe that will really stand out? These simple cheese tortes have been the hit of every event at which they've been served, and are two of my most-asked-for recipes.

To Start:

In whatever size & shape bowl works best for you, lay plastic wrap to cover inside. Make sure you push it gently into all the corners, and that there is enough left on all sides to cover the bottom of the cheese mold. Spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray. The amount of ingredients will depend on the size torte you are making. Simply take the volume of the container, and convert into cups. You will use that amount of cheese.

Pesto and Pepperdaw Goat Cheese Torte

-Goat Cheese, 2 parts
-Cream Cheese, 1 part
-Pesto. Approximately 3 tbs. per cup of cheese
-Pine nuts to garnish
-Pepperdaw (or other red peppers, tomatoes, or roasted garlic) to garnish

Combine cream cheese and enough pesto to color a light green. Mix & set aside. Press goat cheese into plastic covered mold, using slightly wetted hands or plastic gloves. Use enough cheese to fill about 1/3 of the mold, and press firmly to pack cheese into mold corners. Layer in enough pesto cream cheese to fill up the next 1/3 of the mold, again pressing gently to make sure it reaches all the corners and has no air bubbles. Finish filling with the goat cheese, again pressing mixture in firmly. Fold plastic over the bottom of the mold tightly, and set in refrigerator for 1 hour. Remove mold from refrigerator, and unwrap the bottom of the mold. Make sure your plastic is out of the way, and invert mold gently on plate. If necessary, gently tug one corner of the plastic to encourage cheese onto plate.

Roast pine nuts gently in a dry pan for several minutes, turning frequently, until they are toasted. Spread pesto on top of mold, then cover with pine nuts. Top with either pepperdew peppers, or with roasted tomatoes or garlic. Serve chilled.

Butterscotch Pecan Blue Stilton Torte

Topping:
-Dried figs, apple slices, cranberries. Approximately 4 tbs. each per cup of cheese
-Roasted pecans. Approximately 1 tbs. per cup of cheese
-Butterscotch syrup
-Pineapple juice
-Corn starch

Cheese Torte:
-Blue Stilton, 3 pts
-Farmer's Cheese, 1 part

In a heavy-bottomed pan, combine: dried figs or apple slices, dried cranberries, butterscotch syrup to coat, and pineapple juice to thin enough to avoid burning. Heat on low until fruit plumps. Add enough corn starch, mixed with pineapple juice, to thicken and heat until thickened. Add roasted pecan (roast first if necessary) and stir. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Mix cheese with farmer's cheese. Press into mold as described above for pesto mold, filling entire mold with cheese. Refrigerate for one hour. Release from mold onto plate, and scoop generous amounts of topping onto cheese. Stud cheese, if desired, with roasted walnuts or pecans for extra presentation.

And, that's it! They're really simple and delightful appetizers, with fun and unique presentations. Enjoy!

Sources:

GlobalGourmet.com. Cooking Resources: Cooking Calculator.