Charlotte coronavirus activity: Make this recipe from Off The Eaten Path’s cookbook
Charlotte food writer Chrissie Nelson Rotko has got just the thing to help us celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and everything else — even in the era of the coronavirus.
Cheese boards and charcuterie.
You can make a spread for two to four people just as festive as you can make one for 12. You can put one together with things you already have on hand since we still can’t head out on a whim during COVID-19 restrictions. Or you can tack a few things onto your next online grocery order and make the Off The Eaten Path blogger’s Red, White and Blue board.
The board features Whipped Ricotta, watermelon, berries and more in a recipe from the assistant public defender’s debut cookbook, “Stunning Spreads: Easy Entertaining with Cheese, Charcuterie, Fondue & Other Shared Fare.” Orders will start shipping June 2.
If you’re caught without some ingredients, Nelson Rotko suggested that you take a deeper look at what you’ve got in your fridge. “Even with pimento cheese and beef jerky, you can still have a little bit of fun putting it together nicely,” she said.
Just don’t forget to add on a fresh element. “If you don’t have watermelon, maybe you could sub strawberries. Maybe you could sub raspberries. Or maybe you have preserves that you could use with those same flavors,” she added.
Her cookbook is packed with recipes for snacks like beer cheese fondue, grilled brie with blackberry balsamic glaze and pimento cheese deviled eggs. There’s also plenty of other examples on how to put together charcuterie and snack boards.
“I like to call them easy entertaining recipes,” she said. “It’s the way I cook at home.”
Nelson Rotko plans to donate $1 from every pre-order to a local nonprofit that’s helping the food community. She has also planned a virtual book launch party for 7:30 p.m. May 20, where she’ll give away $400 worth of Charlotte food products such as jams, honey and handcrafted cheese boards, as well as cookbooks, in hopes of inspiring others to support local businesses, too.
“Create a special memory for your family or yourself with food, and it doesn’t have to be the same replication of what I have in my book,” Nelson Rotko said.
But if you want to give it a go, here’s the recipe to get you started:
Whipped Ricotta
Ingredients
16 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
3 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. lemon zest (zest of 1 medium lemon)
Fresh fruit or sliced baguette for serving
Method of preparation
Use a stand mixer or medium mixing bowl with a hand mixer and whip for l-2 minutes at medium speed until it starts to look lighter and fluffy. Next, slowly add honey and lemon zest to the ricotta while continuously whipping. Whip until ricotta is light, smooth and creamy — about 5 minutes.
Serve with fresh fruit or sliced baguette.
Note from the chef: For a savory version, omit the honey and add 2 Tbs. of your favorite herb (such as thyme, rosemary, basil or parsley), as well as a generous pinch of salt and black pepper.
Red, White and Blue Board
Ingredients
Whipped Ricotta (see recipe above)
6 slices watermelon
6 ounces Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
4 ounces blueberry-flavored or plain chevre or goat cheese
3 ounces Gouda cheese
2 ounces feta cheese
2 ounces salami (about 6 slices)
2 ounces capicola (about 6 slices)
8-10 strawberries
½ cup raspberries
½ cup blackberries
½ cup blueberries
Water crackers
Beet crackers
¼ cup sliced almonds
Method of preparation
Place larger items like the bowl of Whipped Ricotta and watermelon slices on the board. Next, arrange the four cheeses on the board, spreading them out on different areas so the flavors of each cheese are separated. Fan out salami and capicola and place in an empty space on the board. Arrange the remaining fruit and the crackers, then fill in empty gaps with almonds.