Transparency of Manchego Cheese
Ingredients
OLIVE OIL PUDDING
- 2¼ cups whole milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 ⁄3 cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
ROASTED GARLIC
- 2 heads garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
ROASTED PEPPERS
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
CROUTONS
- 1 small loaf sourdough bread
MANCHEGO
- ½ pound manchego cheese
DRIED OLIVES
- 20 Niçoise olives
GARNISH
- 3 white anchovies cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 32 arugula leaves
- 16 edible flowers such as arugula or pansy
Instructions
OLIVE OIL PUDDING
- Fill a large bowl with ice water, and set a smaller metal bowl inside.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring milk to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly whisk half the milk into yolk mixture. Pour mixture back into saucepan, reduce heat to low, and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and whisk in oil.
- Strain mixture through a sieve into bowl set over ice water. Let cool, then transfer to a squeeze bottle. Refrigerate.
ROASTED GARLIC
- Heat oven to 375°F. Coat garlic heads in oil, and wrap in foil. Roast until tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove foil, and let cool. Peel cloves, keeping them whole. Set aside.
ROASTED PEPPERS
- Coat peppers with olive oil, and char over open flame until skin is completely blackened, about 15 minutes each.
- Transfer to a container, cover tightly, and let cool. Next, remove pepper skin, ribs and seeds. Cut into ½-inch squares. Set aside in containers.
CROUTONS
- Heat oven to 325°F. Remove crust from loaf; cut loaf into ¼-inch cubes. Spread bread cubes in a single layer on baking sheet and toast, turning every few minutes, until browned. Cool, and store in airtight container.
MANCHEGO
- Cut cheese into eight 1/16-inch-thick slices. Trim each slice into a 4-inch square. Cover with parchment paper, and refrigerate. Cut remaining cheese into ¼-inch dice. Store in airtight container.
DRIED OLIVES
- Pit olives. Line dehydrator tray with mesh screen. Place olives on tray; dehydrate at 150°F for 24 hours. Store in airtight container.
ASSEMBLY
- Set broiler to high. In roughly a 4-inch square section of an oven-safe plate, pipe a thin layer of olive oil pudding. On top of the pudding, add 1 clove garlic, 1 square of each pepper, 1 crouton, 1 piece diced manchego, 2 to 3 dehydrated olives, and 1 piece anchovy. Cover ingredients completely with a chilled manchego slice.
- Place in broiler, and cook until thoroughly melted. Repeat with remaining pudding, fillings, and manchego slices. Garnish with arugula leaves and edible flowers.
Notes
Katherine Hysmith
Katherine was a social media intern for culture and a fan of all things Southern. Born and raised in Texas, Katherine recently moved up north to pursue a graduate degree in the Gastronomy Program at Boston University. When she's not researching for her Master's thesis or dreaming about jalapeno cheese poppers, Katherine writes on her own blog The Young Austinian ( http://www.youngaustinian.com/ ).
Photographer Ekaterina Smirnova
Ekaterina Smirnova (Kate) was born in Russia in a city called Yaroslavl. She came to the US when she was 17 years old to go to college. After graduating with a BA in Communications, she studied photography at NESOP. After assisting and shooting in corporate in-house studios, Kate chose to follow her passion and has been shooting food for the last five years.
