Charcuterie Boards & Cherry Garcia
getting ready for Valentine's Day
Good Evening Friends,
How are we doin ? I hope we are all feeling good and well. This week has been JAM PACKED with so much good food as I have been doin a lot of recipe testing for my new mini series that I have been working on. I don’t think I have a name yet for this mini series but its basically a variety of plant-based cheeses made from nuts and seeds including a take on brie made from cashews that is literally sooo deliciously salty.
Since its been a year of content creation I have come to resurfacing some of last years recipes I shared around this time. This February in celebration of Valentine’s Day I wanted to share some recipes for plant-based cheeses to use for making charcuterie boards but also felt like I was missing something sweet. So really the opportunity to share my chocolate cherry cake sort of presented its self. I made this vintage style heart shaped cake last year for my sister who was having a super cute little Galentine’s get together wit her friends. One of her friends is gluten free which put me back to the test as its been a while since my cake making and decorating days. With some proper planning I was able to make a chocolate cake that seriously did not taste gluten free - I was seriously shocked as most gluten free baked goods have a particular taste or texture but someway some how this cake came out so soft, moist and full of flavor thanks to the touch of espresso.
Now before I get off my soap box about this cake - I can’t not talk about the mouth watering cherry filling !!! Now the filling is made with fresh cherries, not that canned artificial stuff so before you go turning away in disgust all you cherry haters ( I am lookin at you ) I urge you to step outside your comfort zone and try some fresh cherries. The way that the deep chocolate flavor and cherries intermingle is just nothing short of magical in my humble opinion. If you are doing a little get together for Valentines day - this is your official sign that your gathering needs this festive little cutie to impress all your guests :)
This Weeks Recap
Can we just take a moment to appreciate how luscious this cherry filling is ? The filling alone pack a punch in terms of flavor as there is a hint of brightness from the lemon juice and a deepness from the cinnamon.
I made my first whole wheat sourdough !! I was so proud as it turned out so flavorful. I’ve been baking about a loaf a week for the sake of good bread as well as working on playing around with different methods and techniques with bread making.
SO - the New York Times a while back posted a video making black sesame rice crispy treats and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them since and finally got around to making them with of course a couple tweaks to make it plant-based and HOLY MOLY. They were just simply divine.
Beets are back in season which prompted me to make an oldie but a goodie, this simple yet delicious beet cavatappi pasta with you know my favorite parmesan cheese from Violife.
A sneaky lil peak at next Wednesdays recipe drop ! Plant-based Brie that spreads like a dream and is just essential for any charcuterie board.
This cheese I posted on Wednesday that I made from sunflower seeds has been my go to snack all week as I made a big batch and just cant stop snacking on it with crisps, crackers, carrot sticks, honestly - just smother it on everything.
The Weekly Round Up
Chocolate Cherry Cake
I wish so badly I got a shot of the inside of the cake to show off some of those beautiful layers but alas it was a gift so sadly I was not able to cut into it - but I did see pictures and she was stunning. This was the cake that made me fall in love with cakes again so the next time you need a cake or specifically a gluten free cake - she’s your gal. You can of course always omit the heart shaped baking pan and bake in a standard cake pan to make it fit any occasion <3
Sunflower Sun Wheel Cheese
If you have never made your own plant-based cheese before this one is quite easy to put together. It’s sharp, a bit tangy and has a mouth watering umami flavor and is surprisingly made from sunflower and pumpkin seeds with a bit of cashews for creaminess however if you want to make this completely nut free you can by simply omitting the cashews and adding more sunflower and pumpkin seeds. This cheese pairs perfectly with savory crackers and is so good with some fresh slices of sour green apples - seriously the perfect snack.
That’s all for this week guys, I hope everyone has a very rejuvenating week end. If you have made it this far, let me know what books you are reading or what podcasts you are listening to. If you enjoy my newsletters drop me a comment or even better share this with a friend !
As always If you make it, please tag me on Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
Till next week,
-Delanie