Laboratory, Lunch, Supper, Jeopardy, Honey,

One thing at  least, Matt had to have blood work done today an, unlike the doctor, the lab is a 15 minute walk, if you can walk that is, so a kick and a spit by car. There is a doctor there, I just wish I could get on to his books. No go though.

Later, ladydog picked us up and we went to lunch at Red Lobster which I now have been told that someone calls Dead Mobster. Unjust. I always enjoy my food there. I thought today's was very good, It is lobsterfest at the moment so of course I had a dish with lobster, two kinds of shrimp and scallops. Yummy. Matt had his usual tilapia and ladydog had pasta with a lobster and shrimp sauce.  Matt and I ordered Chocolate Wave Cakes to go and the ice cream they serve with it to eat there. Matt's dessert was free of course. I have to wait til September to get my free dessert.

I had planned to have macaroni cheese cooked in the Instant Pot tonight. Haven't had it for a while. Much to my horror, only a small spoonful of macaroni left. In the end I took two chicken breasts out of the freezer and did a dump and go recipe in the Instant Pot. Finally, when I went to release the pressure, the pin was already down. I opened the lid with trepidation but no steam eventually I realised the frozen chicken had stuck to the inner pot. Never happened before. So I had to set it cooking again. In the end, it turned out just fine. However, I have made a note to myself never to let the frozen chicken sit on the bottom before I add the rest of the ingredients. I don't know if it showed BURN or not, the sauce was bubbling but the chicken was by no means cooked. Live and learn.

Funny, watching Jeopardy tonight, I managed to answer a question which stumped the contestants, it was Panama Canal. I knew it because ladydog did the trip last year and I had checked out the actual route through the canal out of interest. Clever me. Well I thought I was clever anyway.

Matt loves cheesecake - me I'm not so keen. He would probably enjoy this one. I notice it says honey will keep up to a month, I was always given to understand that honey would never go off. Mind you, I always buy it at the farm. Decided to check my facts:

Shelf life for commercial honey has been established at around two years. Honey stored in sealed containers can remain stable for decades and even centuries! However, honey is susceptible to physical and chemical changes during storage; it tends to darken and lose its aroma and flavor or crystallize.

Farmer's Cheesecake with Strawberries

For this elegant, no-bake cheesecake, Nicolaus Balla ferments his own farmer’s cheese (a kind of

cottage cheese). Ricotta mixed with cream cheese makes a delicious substitute for the filling, which is incredibly light, delicately sweet and wonderful inside the crumbly graham cracker crust

CRUST
5 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs sugar
1 1/4 cups packed graham cracker crumbs (10 to 12 whole crackers)
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of cinnamon
FILLING
1 lb fresh ricotta cheese, at room temperature
1/2 lb cream cheese, at room temperature
3 Tbs agave nectar
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of ground ginger
TOPPINGS
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 cup honey

1. Make the crust

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar over moderately low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs with the salt, ginger and cinnamon. Stir in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the side of a 9-inch fluted tart pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.

2. Make the filling

In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the ricotta with the cream cheese, agave nectar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and ginger just until smooth. Using a spatula, spread the filling in the chilled crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings

In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice. Let stand at room temperature, stirring once or twice, until the berries are juicy and slightly softened, about 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings

In a small saucepan, toast the caraway seeds over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a mortar and lightly crush the seeds. Return the caraway seeds to the saucepan and add the honey. Warm the honey over moderately low heat for 10 minutes. Strain the honey into a bowl, discarding the seeds; let cool.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings

Cut the cheesecake into wedges, top with the strawberries and caraway honey and serve.

Servings: 8

Author: Nicolaus Balla
Source: Food and Wine

Author Notes
The cheesecake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. The honey can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Have a great day