It’s not quite Lag B’Omer, but we’re still in the homestretch to my favorite holiday: Shavuot! What do I love so much about Shavuot? Well, of course I could say it’s the spiritual power of recalling Matan Torah, but … yeah, honestly? It’s the CHEESE.
If you’ve ever read one of my menu plans, you know we do a lot of dairy anyway – including on the occasional Shabbat. But a whole holiday dedicated to eating ice cream and cheesecake and lasagna? Hello, love!
Imagine my total delight when the good folks at Anderson International, makers of the creamy, handmade kosher cheese Les Petites Fermieres (find them on Twitter at @Sincerely Brigit or on Facebook) asked if they could send me some samples of their farm-fresh cheese. And that they wanted me to give away a GORGEOUS basket of cheeses to one of my readers.
Yes, please!
The founder of Les Petites Fermieres grew up in France – which explains the mouth-watering creaminess of their cheeses. From Mozzarella to Gouda and fiery Pepper Jack, Les Petites Fermieres offers an abundances of choices – over 40 different kinds.
My personal favorite are the goat cheese varieties. Have you ever had warm goat cheese salad? Or berry goat cheese salad? Either would be a perfect starter for your Shavuot meals – esepcially for the more sophisticated palettes among your guests. Of course, my kiddos most appreciate the cheddar and mozzarella cheese sticks (what is it about kids and cheese sticks?).
Tonight’s pizza dinner featured Les Petites Fermieres’ Chef’s Pizza Blend. It was *perfectly* shredded and meltingly delicious. Fortunately there is a bit left over that I plan to use for some potato skins. (Yes, I’m indulging! A care package of cheese does that to me!)
My only disappointment is that among the 15 cheeses we were able to sample, we didn’t get to try their Camembert, which I hear is absolutely top-notch as well!
We have ordered Les Petites Fermieres from our local kosher co-op, and I know that you can find it at many grocery stores that carry kosher cheeses.
All Les Petites Fermieres cheeses are kosher certified by the OK, although it is not chalav yisrael.
Would you like to win your own generous basket of more than a dozen varieties of Les Petites Fermieres cheeses – which will arrive just in time for Shavuot? Cheddar, Mozzarella, Pepper Jack, a variety of mouth-watering goat cheese, Monteray Jack, Meunster, Gouda… and if you’re lucky, you might even get to enjoy some Camembert.
To enter this giveaway, just leave a comment with your favorite dairy dish for Shavuot. If you have a recipe – leave that, too. Recipes aren’t required, but this dairy-fiend will surely appreciate them.
If you are looking for some menu inspiration, please check out their blog, Sincerely Brigitte, for a host of mouth-watering recipes, including this unique Mexican Strata.
The contest will be open until next Friday, May 27. If you can still comment, you can still enter. The winner will be announced on Sunday, May 29 – and your package will be sent out the following week, so the winner will be sure to receive it in time for Shavuot.
Contest open only to U.S. residents 18 and older.
Eggplant Parmesan, Mac n Cheese, Terriyaki Salmon, Baked potatoes with dairy toppings (melted cheese, sour cream, etc.), greek salad with feta cheese, cheesecake & ice cream sundaes with all of the works.. As you can see I LOVE dairy..
I’m a dessert girl so it’s a tie between icheesecake and sour cream pie, both from a moosewood cookbook that my mil has!
Even though it doesn’t seem fancy enough for chag, my family loves mac and cheese….so i make it from scratch for the holiday plus a nice cheesecake or regular cake with ice cream! I do love cheese!!!
I love all Shavuot foods 🙂
I don’t have a favorite but I love cheese blintzes, cheese cake and lasagna. This year I will be having a guest so will make crust less broccoli cheese quiche.
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon butter, melted (for frying)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into greased pan and sprinkle with cheese.
Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.
*srry, the crustless is for a guest who does not eat flour
cookie dough chesse cake
Lasagna all the way!
I LOVE brie cheese heated in the oven and topped with raspberry jam. YUM.
If I’m making a milchig main dish on Shavuos I usually go for basil pesto with grilled salmon mixed in, or mushroom ravioli with a creamy spinach sauce. But my favorite way to eat milchig is just a cheese plate, with fruit, rosemary crackers and hot chili jam 😀
Mmmm…cheese.
Can’t call this one of my favorites, as I only just saw the recipe today on the Tasty Kitchen blog, but I’m thinking this will be added to my Shavuot menu because it sounds amazing and easy – win-win!
Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese
2 beets (about 3″ in diameter), peeled and diced small
1 onion, chopped small
1/4 cup butter
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups stock
1 TBSP. balsamic vinegar
1/4-1/2 cup goat cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the beets and onion, and cook for 8 minutes (stir to allow the onion to caramelize). Mix in the rice, broth, and balsamic vinegar. Increase the heat. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy, stirring occasionally (about 15 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the goat cheese.
My favorite is chocolate chip cheesecake with the mini chocolate chips – YUM!
(And I’m sure I could make great use of the cheese basket also – Shavuot is my favorite Yom Tov because of all the cheese 🙂
My husband is the great cook in our home – he makes baked mac and cheese and cheesecake from family recipes! I love a blintze souffle, however I cheat and use frozen blintzes. Still good and simple, for me 😉
We would love to try the cheeses in the basket !!
Cheesecake
Broccoli quiche!!! yumm!!!
wow – tough to pick. among my favorites are cheese blintzes and eggplant parmesan! can’t wait!
Hard to pick one favorite, but I guess I’ll have to say… CHEESECAKE. Nothing quite like it.
Cheesecake, definetely! My current favorite, a lot of work, but so worth it: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/08/alexs-choice/
Chocolate chip cheesecake in a graham cracker crust!
Last year I made key lime cheese cake – my husband and I are huge fans of fresh citrus in savory and dessert dishes. The lime gives the typically heavy cheesecake a punch that keeps it feeling lighter – on your pallet and in your stomach.
I adapted a recipe from a Cooks Illustrated – skipped making the crust myself and went with a store bought version to save time. I posted it on my blog last spring http://elishasdoubleportion.blogspot.com/2010/05/camping-we-will-go-parshat-bamidbar.html
Key Lime Cheesecake
20 small key limes (go for these small limes instead of regular ones – there is a real flavor difference)
4 egg yolks
1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1 block of cream cheese
1 pre-made graham cracker crust
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a medium bowl grate 8 tsps of lime zest. Whip in the 4 egg yolks and keep beating for about 2 minutes. Add the sweetened condensed milk and then the juice of the limes. Let the mixture stand for ten minutes.
Add the cream cheese and whip until smooth (this may be easier to do in a stand mixer). Spoon the mixture into the crust and bake for 20 minutes or until set.
sounds delicious – thanks for posting the recipe!
I LOVE goat cheese or feta cheese added to salads…. my favorite:
mixed organic greens, feta cheese, craising, carmelized pecans, cut up green apples, with a vinaigrette dressing!
homemade sweet cheese blintzes
Fave dairy dish for Shavuot when in Israel: old fashioned baked cheesecake: (עוגת גבינה אפויה)
Fave dairy dishes for Shavuot when in North America: spinach quiche and chocolate pudding.
My favorite Shavuot recipe is New York style cheesecake – which my kids have learned to make. Flavored with fresh orange or lemon zest for a hint of citrus. Yum. Being summer, though, I can’t help but think of homemade bread drizzled with a touch of extra virgin olive oil, garden fresh tomato and basil, and finally some wonderful, fresh mozzorella.
cheesecake is the most obvious choice, but never underestimate the power of mac and cheese-amazingness!
Cheescake, always cheesecake!
My family loves my cheese blintzes, dairy kugel, and spinach pie. None are low calorie, but who’s counting.
YAY, cheese! Since my daughter was young we’d go to Whole Foods and try one new cheese every week. We’ve been doing it for year. We don’t do it every week now b/c we’ve gone through most of them. But now we’re trying new and different recipes.
Recently we saw a recipe for a savory cheesecake and we’re looking forward to making that for our celebration. Let’s hope everyone likes it!
I once tasted a savory cheesecake topped with salsa. It was amazingly good. Served with crackers like a spread.
Spinach quiche with lots of yummy swiss, muenster, and mozzarella cheese!
I love mushroom-cheese ravioli with egg noodles!! my mom makes it & its heaven
Only time of the year we do cheese blintzes… don’t know why, we LOVE them, but something about it only once a year makes it more special.
Blintzes – both bluberry and cheese, and then cheescake to top it off!
Veggie lasagna. I am sure it would taste so much better with really good cheese!
There is nothing in the world like a rich, creamy cheesecake. And I love all things dairy…bring on Shavuos!
noodle kugel and spinach Quiche… the best!!!
I love the blintz loaf in The Spice and Spirit Cookbook. Tastes just like blintzes, but so much easier to prepare. I always double it (why not? same amount of effort) and if we aren’t having lots of company it freezes well and makes a great weeknight supper with a salad.
I like almost anything dairy… French onion soup, pizza, eggplant Parmesan, baked ziti, Greek salad and cheesecake would be heavenly for me!
Mushroom cheese burger is also a favorite, but I’ve only had one in la. There’s a place in the old city that makes the best tuna melts!!!( My
Mouths watering)
I got alittle off track on the dairy thing. Cheesecake is my favorite shavuot food because I only make it once a year .
Homemade fettuccini al fredo with fresh mushrooms and quiche!!
The best are my husband’s homemade cheese blintzes–yum!
A bowl of custard cream with ground nuts ( toasted nuts please) on top, I make it soupy. Yummm!
I loove cheese!
I’d be lying if I didn’t say cheesecake. Nice and simple, just a sour cream topping will do – no need for canned pie filling or anything!
My favorite Shavuot recipe is definitely cheesecake. I got so into making different ones last year (plain, chocolate chip, chocolate bottom, caramel chocolate chip) that by the time I was done I think I had made about a dozen – I was giving them away to friends and bringing them into work to get rid of them, especially since I’m the only one in my family who eats it!
Everyone else likes what we call “the best macaroni and cheese ever” (it has 4 different cheeses in it (ricotta, parmesan, cheddar, and mozzarella) and also penne with vodka sauce, baked ziti with eggplant, and fettucine alfredo with salmon.
my favorite dish for the holiday is to take a couple of low fat cream cheese, roll them into falafel size balls, then roll them in these beautiful moroccan spices, like sweet red paprika, chopped chives, black pepper, chopped cilantro (amazing!), even cinnamon. yes cinnamon. it’s a birthday feel every time! delicious.
thank you for the giveaway and happy holiday to all.
I wonder if this is not your most popular post ever. I love those petit fermieres cheeses!
My favorite shavuos dish is definitely cheesecake. I make the most decadent version I can find and sad to say end up eating most of it myself.
My recipe is from the Cake Bible and has tons of cream cheese and sour cream. Oh yum!! I love shavuos.
My favorite non-cheesecake recipe can be found here:
http://www.cookingmanager.com/greek-salad-feta-cheese-olives/
I don’t have the “dressing gene” and this recipe for salad dressing has never failed me. For Yom Tov I use freshly squeezed lemon juice as opposed to the bottle.
OK I really can’t stop there. The roasted onion soup recipe in Moosewood “Daily Special” (I think?) is one awesome soup recipe especially if you really follow the recipe and do the “dark stock” first.
That sounds like a whole meal now that I think about it. Roasted Onion soup, Greek Salad, with Cheesecake for dessert.
i love cheesecake and cheese blintzes!
I always make a bunch of mushroom quiches…My hubby loves them.
Are these the same cheeses sold in my local super as “The Little Farmgirls”? The packaging looks the same, but we have a much more limited selection. I’d love to try some of the of-the-beaten-path varieties.
I know it’s not too exciting, but my requisite Shavuot recipe is sweet cheese blintzes. I actually make blintzes all year around, but fancy fillings are reserved for Shavuot. This year I’m going to try some savory cheese and mushrooms ones for the meal as well as the sweet cheese. Here are my go-to blintzes recipes: http://inoursmallgarden.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/blintzes-three-ways/
With my carnivore husband, I get extra excited to have the excuse to plan a dairy extravaganza for Shavuot!
Gnocchi.
my favorite is cheesecake but since that probably shouldn’t be a meal
i like to make a crustless pie with spinach, onions, cheese and cream of mushroom soup. thanks for the offer and great site.
My favorites are cheesy pasta bake and quiche!
ice cream!!!!!!!!!
The holidays are just killing my efforts at weight loss so I’m focusing now on making my traditional favorites with lower calorie and fat content.
Weight Watchers Cherry Cheesecake
2/3 cup cottage cheese
Artificial sweetener equal to 6 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon rind, grated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup evaporated skim milk
1/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk
Combine cottage cheese, sweetener, lemon rind, vanilla extract, egg yolks, evaporated milk and dry milk in a blender and blend for about 1 minute until well mixed. Transfer to a bowl.
In another bowl beat egg whites until they stand in stiff peaks; fold into the cheese mixture. Transfer to springform pan and bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Cherry Topping
1 cup sweet cherries; pitted
1/4 cup diet cherry-flavored beverage
Artificial sweetener, to taste
1/4 teaspoon cherry extract
In a covered saucepan, cook cherries in beverage until they are tender and liquid is evaporated. Sweeten, add cherry extract, spread over baked cheesecake and return to oven 5 minutes more.