cheese galore

Make the dough

• In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest until smooth and creamy.
• In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Gradually combine with the wet mixture, scraping the bottom to incorporate everything. Fold in the chocolate chips.
• At this point, the dough can be divided, if desired, to freeze half or all. If baking soon, wrap and chill the dough for about two hours or overnight.
• To begin baking, preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Use a large or small scoop or spoon to dole out dough balls spaced out on cookie sheet. Large cookies will bake in about 15 to 18 minutes; small cookies will need 11 to 13 minutes. The edges should be golden brown. Let cookies sit for about 3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Make the glaze

• Mix confectioners’ sugar and orange juice until thick and smooth. Use the back of a spoon to spread atop a cookie. Continue with the rest of the batch.
• Let cookies rest until glaze is set, about an hour or so, then transfer to a sealed container. Place waxed paper between layers if stacking the cookies. Store at room temperature.

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• In the bowl of the rice cooker, place shallots, garlic, arborio rice, wine, 2 cups broth, 4 Tablespoons butter in pieces, salt, and pepper. Close the lid and set to cook on WHITE RICE SETTING.
• As soon as the timer goes off, set the rice cooker to WARM if it does not automatically do so. Open the lid and add the lemon juice, peas, Parmesan, and 1 cup broth. Cut the last 4 Tablespoons of butter into pieces and add to bowl. Stir until the butter and cheese are melted–this is the hardest part of the whole recipe, as the bowl may be quite full.
• Drizzle in more broth about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each time, until the risotto reaches the desired consistency. (Note that having leftover broth may be a good thing if you also have leftover risotto, as the risotto will thicken a lot when chilled and will need some broth stirred in to loosen it during reheating.)
• Once the consistency is right, add more cheese, salt, and pepper, if desired. Serve risotto by itself or with added meat such as chicken, and of course, more of the white wine to wash down the food.

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• In a large bowl, mix together 3 cups bread flour along with the yeast and salt.
• Either use a small saucepan on the stove or a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave to warm up the milk and butter to reach 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit. Add milk-butter to the dry ingredients and beat in. Add sugar. Add the eggs one at a time.
• Stir in the seasoning and garlic powder. Gradually mix in the remaining flour (and more, if needed) until the dough is soft and only a bit sticky.
• Use a mixer with a dough hook or knead by hand on a floured surface for 6 to 8 minutes, until it is elastic and smooth.
• Grease a bowl and place dough inside, turning to coat with oil. Cover and place where it can rise until doubled, about an hour.
• Grease a 13×9 pan and set out a food scale. Measure entirety of dough and divide the amount by 24. Pull off equal portions of bowl and shape into tight round balls, the seam underneath, and line up in prepared pan.
• Cover and place in a warm place to rise until doubled, about an hour.
• Preheat oven at 375. Remove cover from rolls. Brush on the olive oil or melted butter. Sprinkle additional seasoning on top followed by the shredded cheese.
• Bake rolls for 14 to 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Serve hot or at room temperature. Rolls are fantastic to freeze and pull out later.

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• Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour sourdough discard directly onto the parchment and spread out evenly with an uneven spatula. Sprinkle shredded cheese and seasonings on top.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and use a pizza cutter to score the crackers into the desired shape. This will make them easier to break apart after baking.
• Return crackers to oven and bake for an additional 35 to 45 minutes, until the center is firm, not squishy.
• Let cool for 10 minutes before breaking them apart and beginning to eat. They are best within a day, which likely won’t be a problem.

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• Use the shredding attachment on the food processor to freshly grate the cheddar cheese. (Note that pre-grated cheese from the store may not incorporate well.) Temporarily move cheese to a large bowl.
• Use a knife or kitchen shears to reduce the bacon to small pieces. Set aside.
• Switch to the s-blade on the food processor. Add the pecans and process until finely chopped, but don’t make a paste. Add the diced bacon, cold butter, cheese (don’t wash the bowl), flour, and cayenne. Process until mixture begins to form a dough.
• Place empty former cheese bowl on food scale. Level out the tare for the bowl (or note number to subtract).
• Remove the s-blade and transfer the dough to the big bowl that previously held the cheese. Use hands to make sure everything is incorporated to make dough. Observe the weight of the dough; divide in half.
• Place each half of dough on a long piece of plastic wrap. Shape dough into long logs about an inch in diameter. Dough may be quite crumbly; use the coating of plastic and hand pressure to bring it together.
• Completely wrap dough to stash in fridge. Chill in fridge for anywhere from 8 hours to a couple days, or stash in freezer for up to a month. If frozen, thaw in fridge overnight before baking.
• To begin baking, preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pull out a log. Slice into coins about 1/4-inch thick; if they crumble a bit, reform with fingers. Place slightly spaced out on parchment. Sprinkle pretzel or flaked salt on top of each cracker.
• Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Crackers should look pale golden and set. Leave them on the sheet to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Repeat to bake the rest.
• Store in a sealed container at room temperature. Crackers are best within two days but are still edible after that, albeit chewier.

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Make the dough

• In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
• In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Gradually combine with the wet mixture, scraping the bottom to incorporate everything.
• At this point, the dough can be divided, if desired, to freeze half or all. If baking soon, wrap and chill the dough for about two hours or overnight.
• To begin baking, preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Use a large or small scoop or spoon to dole out dough balls spaced out on cookie sheet. Large cookies will bake in about 15 to 18 minutes; small cookies will need 11 to 13 minutes. The edges should be golden brown. Let cookies sit for about 3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Make the glaze

• Mix confectioners’ sugar, milk, and almond extract until thick and smooth. Use the back of a spoon to spread atop a cookie. Immediately add a pinch of sprinkles. Continue with the rest of the batch.
• Let cookies rest until glaze is set, then transfer to a sealed container. Store at room temperature.

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