Pecorino Toscano with Roasted Sweet Peppers and Arugula Coulis

I totally meant to update on Sunday.... but then after cooking I drank way too much wine to be allowed anywhere near the Internet.

Then I mean to update on Monday.... but got too caught up in the Jets-Dolphins disaster and never got to it.

So here I am, on Tuesday, finally updating this thing!!

On Sunday I took on the task of making not one, but two dishes. This is something that I will never do again.... I must have been out of my mind. After nearly 12 hours of cooking, I was happily rewarded. My first dish was a composed cheese plate of Pecorino Toscano. This cheese is different from a relative that you probably know well, Pecorino Romano. In contrast to the Romano, Pecorino Toscano is quite mild and rather creamy, and never fully reaches the same level of sharpness and saltiness, even with age.

The first step to this dish was to roast a couple of red and yellow peppers in the oven:


After they were finished, they were peeled and julienned...


....and mixed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chives and some salt and pepper.

Then, I reduced the heat in the oven and toasted some slices of a fresh baguette with a bit of olive oil until they were golden brown:


While the bread was toasting, I blanched some arugula until it was just tender, squeezed all of the water out and then pureed it in a blender. Then I added some olive oil to the puree to make the coulis:


That picture is kind of cool and abstract looking isn't it? Maybe I'm missing my calling..... maybe not ;)

Then, I sliced the cheese....


... on a a very thin setting on my mandoline and cut the cheese into 35 even squares.

Onto each plate went a thin circle of balsamic glaze (pre-made from an earlier recipe), a spoonful of the arugula coulis, a bit of the roasted red pepper mixture, two homemade croutons and five slices of the Pecorino Toscano. Here is the finished result:


Not bad for my first composed cheese course. It was even worth the effort of roasting and peeling the peppers, which is something that I honestly find tedious and annoying :)

My pictures are looking a little fuzzy for some reason... any of you techies out there have some suggestions??

Up next, Braised Breast of Veal with Yellow Corn Polenta Cakes, Glazed Vegetables & Sweet Garlic!!

Sources:
Cheese - Stinky, Brooklyn, NY
Produce - Trader Joe's, Brooklyn, NY