recipe development

Imagine my excitement when I was contacted by Casey from Kitchen Play to participate in a Sidecar Series. I love creating new recipes, trying new products, and writing about it all, so I was definitely up for the challenge.

The theme?

“New Traditions”, a focus on incorporating products from Woolwich Dairy into a holiday meal by adding something new to a traditional recipe or creating an entirely new recipe and tradition.

Woolwich Dairy cheese can be found at Whole Foods; for information on other locations, you can visit their website.

I decided to put a delicious and seasonal twist on two pretty standard holiday items, biscuits and mashed potatoes. I chose Woolwich Dairy Goat Cheddar for both recipes.

Before I finalized my recipes, I tasted a few pieces of the cheese and had to cut myself off to make sure I had enough to cook with. This goat cheddar is so unique! It is mild but has that distinct tangy goat’s milk flavor. If you like goat cheese, you will love this.

Recipe 1: Tart and Savory Cheddar Cranberry Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
3/4 cup milk
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup grated Woolwich Dairy Goat Cheddar

For the biscuit base, I used a standard biscuit recipe to start.

When it came to cutting in the chunks of butter, I grated in the cheddar and worked that in, along with the butter. Right before baking, I kneaded the cranberries in, doing my best to make sure they were not falling out on the sides so that they would not scorch.

After about 12 minutes, I pulled out perfectly buttery, cheesy, biscuits with bright little bursts of sweet-tart cranberry flavor. They didn’t need butter or any additions; the cheese made them moister and more crumbly than regular biscuits.

Recipe 2: Holiday Cheddar Mash

6 small white potatoes
3 large parsnips
1 medium turnip
4 cloves garlic, peeled
handful Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup light cream
2 cups grated Woolwich Dairy Goat Cheddar

Cut vegetables into equal-size chunks, cover with water, and bring to a boil. When the vegetables are semi-soft, add a handful of chopped parsley and the peeled cloves of garlic.

Once all of the vegetables are soft enough to easily cut with a butter knife, drain the water, add cream and return to stovetop. Use a potato masher to mash the vegetables until smooth, then add in the cheese a cup at a time, slowly stirring it in. If desired, stream in a bit more cream to achieve a smoother consistency.

Serve with additional grated cheese and parsley.

I love this twist on classic mashed potatoes. Not only does it add a little bit of extra nutrition, but the natural spice of the turnips and parsnips really adds a kick. And the Woolwich Dairy goat cheddar makes it the best kind of comfort food, perfect for a winter meal.

I had so much fun working with Kitchen Play and Woolwich Dairy, and I am looking forward to serving both of these dishes at a holiday meal in the very near future!