Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/51669
play with your food Entertaining Blues? Just Say Cheese Two simple recipes for easy entertaining snacks By Michael and Jean Muckian It seems like we were just grilling brat- wurst and sipping a crisp Chardonnay on the back porch. Now we're shoveling that porch and prepping for the holidays. No matter the tradition, December is the month for getting together with family and friends. When the impromptu guests ap- pear at your door, what can be served quickly, simply and elegantly? "Cheese, of course," says Lisa Cook, wife of Sid Cook, owner and master cheese maker at Carr Val- ley Cheese. "If you want to prepare something that everybody loves, and something you can always have on hand, think cheese." Cook smiles. "Of course, I'm prejudiced," she admits. To give you two cheesy recipes to keep Planning to Entertain? Find a guide to wine and cheese pairings just in time for the holidays at carrval- leycheese.com. in your back pocket for entertaining, she offers up one of her favorite quick-cheese recipes—Quick and Easy Bacon-Wrapped Dates—using Carr Valley's Creama Kasa cheese, a triple cream cow's milk cheese. For those guests you have a night to plan for, she offers her Blue Cheese Cranberry Spread with Candied Pecans, made with the company's award-winning sheep's milk cheese. Michael and Jean Muckian have covered the local food and arts scenes for over 25 and 15 years, respectively. Find their blog, Culturosity, at bravamagazine.com. Quick and Easy Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Almonds 24 pitted Medjool dates 8-10 oz. Creama Kasa cheese 24 salted and roasted whole almonds (optional) 12 slices thin-sliced bacon, cut in half Balsamic vinegar (optional) 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stuff each date with one piece of cheese and one almond. Wrap with bacon and secure with a toothpick. 2. Place in a shallow baking pan and bake for 5 minutes. Turn and bake 5 more minutes. 3. Remove from pan and place on paper towel to drain. Garnish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, if desired. Blue Cheese Cranberry Spread with Candied Pecans 4 oz. crumbled Carr Valley Ba Ba Blue Cheese 4 oz. cream cheese, softened ½ c. candied pecans, chopped ½ c. dried cranberries, chopped 1. Mix cheeses in a medium bowl. Refrigerate overnight. 2. Stir in cranberries, then shape mixture into a small log. Roll in candied pecans. Cut log into small medallions. 3. Serve at room temperature with your favorite cracker. Serve each with your favorite wine and enjoy! Fortifying Ports Colder weather means cozy fi res and a glass of fortifying port to get you through a chilly winter's night Wollersheim 2008 American Port ($26) brings together the talents of winemaker Philippe Coquard with ro- bust grapes aged in American oak for a full-bodied, slightly sweet sipper. 68 BRAVA Magazine Heitz Cellar Ink Grade Vineyard Port ($35) blends eight largely unfamiliar Portuguese varietals from four sepa- rate vintages for a powerhouse that invigorates the palate. December 2011 De Krans Cape Ruby Port ($12), a great value from South Africa, com- bines three grape stocks, producing a medium-bodied, youthful wine with spicy fruit and good balance. Offl ey 2000 Late-bottled Vintage Porto ($19), a blend of seven Por- tuguese varietals, offers an intense ruby color with hints of black fruit, exotic wood, iodine and cocoa.