Festive Cheese Ring Recipes

CHEESE RING

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, green onion, cayenne pepper, and garlic salt until well blended. Coat a ring shaped gelatin mold generously with cooking spray. Spoon the cheese mixture into the mold, cover, and chill for 2 to 3 hours to set.
• Unmold onto a serving plate, and pour raspberry preserves into the center. Arrange wheat crackers around the outside of the ring.

FESTIVE GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Put the packages of goat cheese in the freezer to harden slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Spread the dill out on a cutting board to dry for a few minutes. Mix together the cranberries and pistachios on another part of the cutting board.
• Remove the cheese logs from the freezer and take them out of the package. Gently roll one log over the dill, coating it almost completely. Do the same with the second log, rolling it in the cranberries and pistachios. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill until time to serve.
• Serve with crackers.

MARINATED OLIVE & CHEESE RING

Steps:

• Cut cream cheese lengthwise in half; cut each half into 1/4-in. slices. On a serving plate, arrange cheeses upright in a ring, alternating cheddar and cream cheese slices. Place olives in center., In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, parsley, basil and garlic until blended; drizzle over cheeses and olives. Sprinkle with pimientos. Refrigerate, covered, at least 8 hours or overnight. Serve with baguette slices.

FESTIVE FILLED BRIOCHE CENTREPIECE WITH BAKED CAMEMBERT

Steps:

• Day before: whisk together the eggs and milk in a jug. Put the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and spice in the bowl of a kitchen mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir to combine.
• On a medium setting, slowly pour in the egg mixture in a steady stream, continuing to stir until incorporated into a very soft, wet dough. Add the butter and increase the speed, kneading for 8-10 minutes. The dough will be ready when it clings around the dough hook. At this stage it will look more like a thick cake batter than bread dough. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
• You can also roast the garlic the day before: heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Line a baking sheet with foil. Remove any loose outer skins from the garlic bulbs. With a sharp knife, cut off the stem and uppermost part of the cloves. Place on the foil, drizzle over a little olive oil and season. Bring up the edges of the foil and seal to form a fairly tight parcel. Bake in the top of the oven for 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave the parcel sealed until the garlic is cool enough to handle. Remove the cloves by either squeezing the bulb upwards from the base or by teasing them out with a toothpick. Mash the garlic with a fork. Wrap well (to avoid the garlic smell transferring to other foods) and refrigerate.
• On the day: line a baking tray with baking parchment. Remove the cheese from its wooden carton and put the cheese back in the fridge until later. Put the carton in the centre of the lined tray.
• Tip the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Divide into 5 large equal-sized pieces - it can help to roll the dough into an even sausage shape and mark with a knife first to get equal pieces.
• Take one piece and divide into 5 again. One at a time, roll each of these 5 pieces gently into a ball, flour your index finger and make a small, deep indent in the middle. Fill with half a teaspoon of the roasted garlic, pinching the dough over the top to seal and placing the sealed side down onto the floured surface. Cup your hand over the bun and rotate a little to get an even shape. Repeat until you have filled all 5.
• Repeat step 6 using the remaining 4 fillings.
• Arrange the buns around the wooden carton, you'll need 10 for the inner ring and 15 for the outer ring. Leave around 0.5cm between each bun, giving them room to rise. Cover with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes or until nearly doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Remove any plastic wrapping or stickers from the cheese. With a small knife, make an incision in the top rim and remove the top layer of rind. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and place in the carton, cut side up. Brush the buns with the beaten egg and scatter with poppy seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Slide onto a serving platter. Decorate with the herbs and fresh cranberries. Serve the extra cheese alongside if using.

FESTIVE CARROT RING

Steps:

• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the carrots, recover, and steam until very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain water, remove steamer basket, and return carrots to pan; mash with an electric mixer until smooth.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 12 cup ring mold or Bundt® pan; sprinkle mold with 5 tablespoons corn flake crumbs.
• Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat at high speed until light yellow, about 1 minute. Stir in the cooked carrots, milk, Cheddar cheese, butter, onion, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and the remaining 1 1/2 cup corn flake crumbs; mix well. Spoon into prepared mold.
• Bake in preheated oven until puffed and lightly browned, abut 1 hour. Remove from oven; let stand 30 minutes before inverting onto serving platter.

CHESTNUT & CRANBERRY XMAS RING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C / Gas 6 / fan oven 180C
• a) Cut a 23cm / 9in circle from a piece of non-stick baking parchment. Cut a 13cm / 5in circle from the middle, to make a ring shape (use a desert plate and saucer as guides if necessary). Make 1cm deep cuts, spaced 3cm / 5 in apart, all the way around the inside and outside edges of the ring.
• b) Brush a 12 Litre / 2 pint non-stick ring mould with oil and use the paper ring to line the base. Brush with a little more oil.
• a) Heat half the butter (25g) and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan until the butter is foaming.
• b) Gently fry the Onion, Leek, and Garlic for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened
• c) Place the chestnuts in a food processor and process until most are finely chopped but some slightly larger pieces remain.
• a) Transfer the onion mixture to a large mixing bowl
• b) Return the pan to the heat and melt the remaining butter (25g) and oil (1tbsp)
• c) Add the chestnuts and cook for 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until lightly browned
• a) Tip the chestnuts into the bowl with the onion mixture and stir in almost all the cranberries, reserving some for decoration, the breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, rosemary, eggs, grated apples and plenty of seasoning. Mix well
• b) Spoon half the mixture into the prepared tin, pressing it down with the back of a spoon.
• c) Dot with pieces of cheese then cover with the remaining chestnut mixture.
• a) Bake for 40-45 minutes until the ring is lightly browned and starting to come away from the sides of the tin.
• b) Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Oil a baking sheet
• c) Loosen the edges with a round bladed knife and turn out onto an oiled baking sheet
• d) Discard the Lining paper and leave the chestnut ring to cool for 1 hour until cold.
• a) Unroll one pack of pastry onto a lightly flowered surface. Using a sharp knife cut out 2x20cm strips reserving the leftover pastry.
• b) Arrange the pastry strips over the chestnut ring, tucking in the edges with a round bladed knife as you go.
• a) Re-roll the reserved pastry (Cook tip 2) to about 2mm thick. Cut leaf shapes from the pastry and mark on veins with a knife.
• b) Brush the pastry strips with egg yolk (Cook tip 1). Then attach the pastry leaves, curling and overlapping them to form a number of flower shapes spaced evenly around the ring.
• c) Shape several small balls of pastry and attach three to the centre of each flower with a dab of the egg yolk. (Cover and chill the remaining egg glaze)
• d) Cover with cling film and chill for at least 45minutes.
• a) Preheat the oven to 200C / Gas 6 / fan oven 180C
• b) Brush the pastry decorations carefully with the reserved egg yolk.
• c) Bake for 40-45minutes until the pastry is risen and golden brown. If necessary cover the top of the ring with foil if it begins to over-brown before the sides are cooked.
• a) Remove from the oven and slide gently onto a warmed serving plate.
• b) Garnish the ring with the remaining cranberries, the extra rosemary sprigs and the bay leaves.
• c) Serve with a rich sherry gravy and vegetables of your choice.

FESTIVE CHEESE WREATH APPETIZER

Steps:

• Beat cream cheese and shredded cheese in small bowl with mixer until blended.
• Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Refrigerate several hours.
• Place drinking glass on center of platter. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of cheese mixture around glass, just touching outer edge of glass to form ring; smooth with spatula. Remove glass before serving. Sprinkle with cilantro.

FESTIVE HAM AND CHEESE WREATH

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F Spray large cookie sheet with nonstick spray. In large bowl, combine cheese, ham, onions and mustard; mix well.
• Separate one can of dough into 10 biscuits; leave second can in the refrigerator. Separate each biscuit into two layers. Press each biscuit layer to form 3 1/2 inch round.
• Place one rounded tablespoon cheese mixture on each dough round. Wrap dough around cheese mixture, pinching edges to seal. Repeat with remaining can of dough and cheese mixture.
• Arrange 8 balls seems side down and sides almost touching, to form ring on sprayed cookie sheet, leaving a 3 inch hole in the center. Arrange 14 balls, sides almost touching, around outside of first ring. Arrange remaining 18 balls around outside of second ring. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seed.
• Bake at 375F for 18 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully slide wreath on serving platter and sprinkle with diced bell peper. Serve warm.

FESTIVE CHEESE RING

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients with mixer on LOW, just until combined.
• Spray mold with oil and put pecans in bottom evenly.
• Put cheese mixture in and press down firmly to pack.
• Refrigerate over night to let flavors marry.
• Unmold and put jam/preserves in center of ring.
• Serve with crispy wheat or grain crackers. We prefer Wheat Thins!