THE ULTIMATE STILTON BLUE CHEESECAKE

It was to be my first Opera, Turandot at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco ,(as a young restless and rebellious adult, I said that opera was one I would never enjoy, but age caught up with me, with it a horizon broadened and an eagerness to experience forms of art personally uncharted.). While waiting for AC at Pia's ( remember my foodie extraordinaire friend from whom I get most of my tips of places to go for yummy finds) on her kitchen counter laid a seductive piece of dessert that has a perfect caramelized top that looked so enticingly delicious. When offered a to try it, I hesitantly accepted and said  "just a sliver please", well you see I am trying  to loose some poundage my dears.... Then I took a bite, and I tell you, the gates of culinary heaven opened up as my taste buds sent messages to my brain to release gazillion endorphins while the creamy salty sweetness melted in my mouth, ecstatic!!! you simply have to try this... 

Asked her for the recipe and she told me to look it up online and I believe this is it.

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STILTON BLUE CHEESECAKE

• 2 packages cream cheese at room temperature
• 12 ounces crumbled Stilton blue cheese, at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoon clover or orange blossom honey
• pinch of kosher salt
• pinch of fresh cracked pepper
• ½ cup caramel topping
• water crackers

Heat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray an 8 inch spring form pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and then spray again. This is for easy handling.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Measure out ¼ cup of the blue cheese and set aside. To the remaining blue cheese, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the mixture off the sides of the bowl. Add the sour cream, honey, salt and pepper. Beat until combined, pour into the pan.

Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom tack in the oven, and place the cheesecake on the rack about it. Steam from the water will help prevent cracks in the cheesecake. Bake for 40 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven. Sprinkle the reserved blue cheese over the top of the cheesecake and bake at 10 to 15 minutes more, until lightly browned. Cool in the pan, to room temperature.

To serve, cut the cheesecake into wedges. Drizzle each plate with caramel, place the wedge on the plate. Serve with crackers if desired.

To be able to enjoy a Stilton cheesecake, this kind of dish is best paired with a great aged or a tawny Port Wine. It could also be taken with the king of sizzlers, because the cold and the fat content of the champagne just pairs very well with the cheesecake, and that’s a fact. On certain occasions though, a good Riesling is also recommended.

The recipe above can be served both ways, as a dessert with some fruit sauce as garnish or the caramel topping at the bottom as stated.. It can also be served as an appetizer accompanied with your favorite crackers or wafers.

But however you serve it, make sure to present it as appealing as possible. Because remember, you always eat with your eyes first. And most important, get your cheese from the best cheese shop, the Ideal Cheese Shop.


SOURCE OF ABOVE RECIPE/ARTICLE

GOOD BITES - A MOUTHFUL OF GOODNESS

We met Jeff (I so endearingly call Aling Jeff) when he had just recently bought the place from a Middle Eastern owner.  For a short time this place had an identity crisis, the former clientele slowly stopped coming because some of the dishes were not being offered or maybe it was weird for some to be buying their flat bread  from a Filipino ( but to this day former clients still come by for the flat bread, so good) That was when he decided to go Filipino and kept a few of the best from the former owner's menu.

A SHORT FUNNY STORY
One day, we were throwing around ideas for the a new name with Pia R , her husband Philippe who happens to be french and lived in Manila for some 7 years, he had suggested his new place to be renamed "Aling Jeff''s  "because he had seen so many sari sari stores and carenderia  whose name started with the word  "ALING" ( a term use to address a middle aged woman as a sign of respect) not knowing what it meant exactly. I almost choked on my adobo for laughing so hard... Although he had re named his place GOOD BITES , that lunch with Philippe,  Pia and "Aling Jeff" will forever be engraved in my memory.

Good Bites now has a defined eclectic offerings of  FILIPINO, AMERICAN and MIDDLE EASTERN   with it's  SILOGS, SI-nangag- garlic fried rice and it-LOG eggs ) Omelette's and a HUMMUS and FLAT BREADS  which are to die for. He has perfected the hummus, kebabs and flat bread which he takes orders for parties as cocktail appetizers and/or  dinner starters.

The food is great and the place small and cozy with (Aling) Jeff's welcoming and nurturing attention give  this place and it's food a home cooked meal dining experience each time you visit. YUMMM

1504 EL CAMINO REAL
BELMONT CA 94002
650-592-4837

Sun	Closed
Mon-Fri	9am–3pm
Sat	8am–3pm

LITTLE SKILLET SOMA- ONE OF THE BEST FRIED CHICKEN IN THE BAY AREA

FIRST TIME I TASTED THIS FAMOUS "FRIED CHICKEN" WAS WHEN MY FOODIE AND "FROM SCRATCH" COOK, HOME MAKER AND BAKER, PIA R, (WHOSE LOVE OF FOOD HAS HER COMBING THE BAY AREA FOR EXCEPTIONAL CULINARY FINDS.)  TOOK ME LAST YEAR. ,  I WAS INSTANTLY HOOKED. SINCE THEN IT HAS BECOME MY FAVORITE GO TO - 15 MINUTE DRIVE TO THE CITY LUNCH BREAK FOR ME AND MY EMPLOYEES AND FOR MY OUT OF TOWN GUESTS AS A WAY TO SHOE AND LET THEM  EXPERIENCE THE HIDDEN GEMS OF THE CITY BY THE BAY..

LITTLE SKILLET IS LITERALLY  A "HOLE IN THE WALL",  YES LITERALLY, RIGHT BELOW WHERE THEIR SIGN HANGS IS A BIG WINDOW THAT OPENS TO A COUNTER WHERE YOU CAN GIVE AND TAKE  YOUR ORDERS . THE ORDER IS THEN PASSED DIRECTLY BEHIND WHERE THE "FRYING DEN" IS LOCATED . I GUESS ONE CAN CALL THIS A "TO GO" OR  AS ONE SAYS IT IN MANILA,  MY HOME CITY "TAKE HOME" COUNTER. THEY HAVE A FEW ITEMS AND A LIMITED MENU,  WHICH IS VERY APPROPO IN  A SET UP LIKE THIS.

THE STAR IS OBVIOUSLY IS THE FRIED CHICKEN AND THEIR WAFFLES!!!. I PRETTY MUCH DON'T CARE FOR  BISCUITS. GRITS AND WAFFLES BUT I  DO COME FOR THE CHICKEN  WHICH ARE COOCOOROOKOOO - LICIOUS. THE BATTER IS PERFECTLY SEASONED AND FRIED TO A CRISP, THE  MEAT MOIST AND JUICY. YUMMMM....

ONE CAN EITHER TAKE IT TO GO OR ON A NICE DAY, ONE MAY  LUNCH AND BASK IN THE SUN ON A RAISED SIDEWALK ACROSS THE STREET. A VERY FUN D T E ( DOWN TO EARTH)  EXPERIENCE.