Fun Fearless Foodie

There is a fantastic local cheese shop that I featured in a series on my Examiner Cooking column about foodie hot spots in Winter Park, FL and wanted to share an excerpt from that article, plus a creamy and rich dish using fresh Coolea cheese that will be sure to impress.

Click here to read the article in full:http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-33304-Orlando-Cooking-Examiner~y2010m1d18-Series-Park-Avenue-foodie-hot-spots

First stop takes us to Park Avenue’s quickly growing north end to The Cheese Shop on Park,  which features a wide assortment of artisan cheeses that are made using traditional farmhouse methods which allow you to take home the freshest tasting cheese in town.  And while cheese is their speciality, they also offer a nice collection of chutneys, locally made honey, oils, gourmet snacks and wines from around the world.

Cooking with cheese can take on many forms, and the purpose of my visit to The Cheese Shop recently was to locate a cow’s milk cheese called Coolea that I discovered on a recent trip to Ireland.  With a nutty, rich flavor that reminds me of Gouda, I incorporated Coolea into a potato gratin dish on my trip that I was anxious to recreate it at home.  The cheese is made in the local town in Ireland where I stayed, Cork, and I picked up an aged version at the English Market in preparation for the New Year’s day feast I prepared for my family, click here for my related post.

Recipe: Coolea and Honey Potato Gratin

A rich and creamy dish that combines the unusual but complimentary flavors of cheese and honey to create a side dish that is the perfect accompaniment to beef or poultry and will leave your guests asking for seconds.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and sliced to 1/8 inch thickness
• 1/4 cup of whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup shredded Coolea cheese (Gouda and Parmesan are good substitutes)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a small saucepot add cream and honey and bring to a slow simmer, just long enough to melt the honey, set aside. *do not let the cream come to a boil or it will curdle*
3. Butter a square 8×8 inch baking dish.
4. Layer 1/2 of the potato slices across the bottom of the dish.
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and 1/4 of the cheese, dab 1/2 of butter cubes.
6. Add the remaining layer of potato slices and add more salt and pepper and the rest of the cheese and butter.
7. Pour the honey cream mixture on top of the potatoes evenly.
8. Place in the hot oven and cook for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender and top is bubbling and golden brown.

Notes: If prepping the potatoes in advance, place sliced potatoes in a glass bowl and cover with cool water.  When ready to use drain and dab dry with a paper towel.  This will prevent the potatoes from oxidizing and turning brown.

You may need more cheese depending on how liberally you apply it and if the size of your dish varies.  Use your best judgement and add as little or as much as you like.

If the potatoes are cooked through but the top has not browned enough, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler and let brown for 2-3 minutes.