Fancy Green Beans

Whether you’re whipping up dinner for a crowd or dessert for someone special, preparing and enjoying meals is at the core of the holidays. And while traditional recipes vary from family to family, one thing remains true — flavor reigns. Add this green bean recipe made with Plugra European Style Butter to your dinner table this holiday season.

Fancy Green Beans
2 pounds fresh green beans, snapped
2 tablespoons Truffle Herb Butter (recipe below)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
½ cup half and half
¼ cup parmesan, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup crispy onions

Heat oven to 350 F.
Steam or blanch green beans to where they are tender, but still have a slight snap to them. Set aside.
In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter over medium heat.
Whisk in flour until butter fully absorbs, about two minutes.
Continue whisking and add in the chicken broth. Once combined, add in the half and half.
Reduce heat to low and let simmer until slightly thickened, about five minutes. Stir in parmesan and salt and pepper.
Add the green beans and toss to coat.
Butter a deep casserole dish and pour in green bean mixture.
Top with crispy onions and bake 15 minutes, or until heated through and the top is crispy.

Truffle Herb Butter
8 ounces Plugra European Style Butter, unsalted
1 ½ teaspoons truffle oil
1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped

Combine softened butter in a medium-sized bowl with oil, thyme and sage. Beat until fluffy. Scoop butter onto one end of a rectangular piece of parchment paper, leaving room on the sides. Fold the end with the butter over, tucking tightly to form a log. Roll until you’ve reached the end of the parchment. Twist the ends and secure with string or bread ties. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Cheddar-Apple Slabble Pie

When it comes to apple pie, many of us have memories of the way our grandmother used to make it. Whether she used a mixture of butter and shortening, added vinegar or used her hands instead of a pastry cutter, the crust served as the bookends of a delicious tradition. By jazzing up a traditional, all-butter crust recipe with Borden® Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, this American classic is elevated into a slightly savory dessert, perfect for using up all those fresh-picked apples.

Crust
We opted for an all-butter crust, but this can be made by adding 1 ½ cups of shredded Cheddar cheese to your favorite pie crust recipe.
2 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 ½ cups Borden® Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
½ cup ice water

Filling
4 sweet apples, peeled and sliced (like Pink Lady or Gala)
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
½ cup sugar, or more to taste
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Egg wash
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon water

In the bowl of your food processor, pulse together the cold butter, flour and salt until a course texture is formed, where the butter is a similar size to peas.
Slowly add in the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition until a dough comes together. You may need more or less water.
Once the dough has come together, pulse in the grated Borden Cheddar Cheese.
Turn dough onto a floured countertop and gently knead into one solid mound. Separate the dough into two and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or for up to two days if making in advance.
While dough is chilling, heat the oven to 375 F.
Prepare the filling by tossing together the peeled and sliced apples, flour, cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice.
Once the dough is chilled, unwrap one disk and roll out on a floured surface in a rectangle large enough to hang over the edges of a small sheet pan.
Transfer the dough to the pan, pressing gently into the corners. Top with apple mixture and spread out evenly.
Unwrap and roll out the other disk on a floured surface into a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut ½-inch strips lengthwise from the dough to make a lattice top.
To make the lattice, start by laying half the strips diagonally across the pan. Then, begin weaving the remaining strips to make the lattice design. This is done in an over-under pattern.
Once all the strips are successfully weaved, trim and crimp the edges with the edges of the bottom crust.
Mix together the egg and water and use a pastry brush to apply the egg wash to the top of the crust.
Bake 35–40 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden. Cool completely before serving.

Queso Fresco Cheesecake

With crumbles of La Vaquita® Queso Fresco folded into the batter, this cheesecake delivers in texture and depth of flavor. Top with dulce de leche to tie together the sweet and salty profile that makes for a perfect end to a festive meal.

Crust
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar

Filling
3 blocks cream cheese, softened
4 ounces La Vaquita® Queso Fresco, crumbled
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs

Heat oven to 325 F.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar until combined. Press into a 9-inch spring form pan. (If you don’t have a spring form pan, a 9x9 baking dish will work for cheesecake bars.)
In the bowl of a food processor, combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs until smooth.
Sprinkle in La Vaquita Queso Fresco and pulse two or three times until combined.
Pour filling into prepared crust. Bake 50–55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool completely before removing spring form ring. Serve as is or with warm dulce de leche or caramel.

BBQ Ranch Dressing

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Summertime is all about fresh, simple meals that are perfectly shareable. From potlucks to barbecues to weeknight dinners, throwing together a quick dish that can feed a crowd is a top contender when searching for recipes. Simplicity is taken to a new level when that same recipe can be used in a variety of ways. That's why we love this BBQ ranch dressing. Whether you're tossing it in a salad or enjoying it with your favorite veggies, this dressing tastes like summer — and it's good for you, too. Packed with protein from farmer-owned, nutrient-rich cottage cheese, even your pickiest taste testers will never guess this as an ingredient. 

BBQ RANCH DRESSING

Ingredients
32 ounce container cottage cheese (we're partial to Kemps)
1 packet ranch seasoning
2 T barbeque sauce
1/2 cup water, more if needed

Method
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor, beginning with 1/2 cup of water. 
Blend until smooth, adding more water 1 tablespoon at a time to thin if needed.
Pour back into the cottage cheese container to store.
Refrigerate for up to a week. 

We love this dressing as a dip with fresh veggies or chips, tossed on a summer salad or drizzled onto a sandwich. Here are some of our favorite combos:

• Santa Fe salad — Green lettuce, black beans, tomatoes, roasted corn, queso fresco, red onion, grilled chicken

• Potluck pasta salad — Cooked macaroni noodles, cubed cheddar, thawed green peas

• Chopped salad — Broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, celery, or any of your favorites

• Zesty turkey wrap — Flour tortilla, green lettuce, red onion, tomato, pepper jack cheese, turkey lunch meat