cheese... french cheese... chavre to be exact

MISSING good cheese
is a terrible thing..
now here in the States we have
the glorious Cheddar..
yes, it can be.. or so I am told...
gotten in the UK
but it was next to impossible for me to find in France..
and we like it a whole lot..
but more than a nice white sharp cheddar...
more than baby mozzarella balls all dolled up in olive oil, garlic, fresh basil, roma tomato's &  freshly ground black pepper....
MORE than brie...
more, yes more than cambret...
and all of that...
shocking I realize...
But more than it all
is the lovely world of
Chavre
a gorgeous French goat cheese...
now I confess ours here in the States is good..
not NEARLY as amazing as the cheese man's
when I would walk to the market in Lyon every day to get a new little pat...
but ours IS good...
just..
well...
one OUGHT to be HONEST...
it isn't nearly AS good as ALL THAT...
all that back in France...
where they make it fresh every day or what ever...
so...
anyways...
I have had it plain...
just sort of smeared on crackers, or bread... warm french bread is the best..

I have had it rolled in cracked peppercorns and crushed garlic...
and all sorts of ways..
my favorite way to serve it
is what I call
Lovely Log...
(I will check to see if I have the recipe on here for you)
but basically it is smothered in
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
ooooodles of garlic (way way way more than your wildest dreams)
freshly cracked black pepper
tons of basil... chopped fresh (a variety, basil flowers too if in season!)
AND
ripe, rich, red tomato, chopped small and inviting you to feast...
along with finely chopped chives....
anyways.. thats about it..
it looks amazing..
it tastes amazing..
it IS amazing...
and you eat if on crackers or garlic bread crisps.... oooo ooo ooo

I also make a Volcano... that's another terrific recipe.. hmm
you eat it with tortilla chips! yummy

so
do you GET that I like... LOVE this cheese?
hmmm
Well..
this Friday night
my husbands company had their annual Company Christmas Party...
and there it was ... along with the standards... and some yummy exceptions..
there was your plain colby...\
there was a fun monteray pepper jack (love that spicy kick)
a plain chedder
a sharp chedder
a gouda
a swiss
a brie  (nice)
a blue
and Chavre rolled in something new...
dill and some other stuff...
so I carefully, gracefully slice a tiny bit off and smear it onto my cracker...
and take a nibble...
I chose a water cracker so my palate could just focus on the cheese...
I tasted dill... which I don't often like in that amount...
I tasted chives...
I tasted it then... spicey... spice-E wow!
BAM
what that was... I am not sure..
but I grabbed a plate and casually looked about and wacked off a hunk of THAT cheese...
snagged some crackers and went to sit and figure it out...

Claudia noticed...
she is a Blue girl...
she never heard of Chavre...
she grabbed some for herself...
she went back and grabbed some more...
then I did..

it was ....
delicious...
simply... and unexpectadly delcious

On a mission...
I must create a recipe to match
to equal
or surpass
THAT...
wow....

anyways...
just HAD to share :)

wow .... YES I said WOW

so it's been a half a year... and a lot has happened... in my culinary world... a WHOLE lot...
a WHOLE lot more whole foods...
a WHOLE lot of adjusting to cooking in the US once again...

Todays recipe.... let me fIRST apologize for no photo...
It's a photo thing...
and it's a... already ate it up thing...

Todays recipe NEEDS a nam... so for now.. it's WOW...
suggestions welcomed

1 can Eden Aduki beans drained
1 bunch green onions rinsed well and chopped fine
1 bunch flat leafed parsley washed rinsed well and chopped fine
1/2 bunch (a nice handful) of Cilantro washed and rinsed well and chopped fine
a bit of fresh mint chopped fine
 (I have a nice curved chopping board and put all my herbs in this chopping them together...)
Tumeric
Cumin
Paprika ( I prefer Hot... but because of the little children in my home having STRONG objections... plain)
4 cloves garlic pressed
Ginger (fresh if you have it... but I didn't so I used ground)
Sea Salt (or Kosher !)
Freshly Ground Pepper
2 cups Long grained Rice
Olive Oil
5 cups Water... (I like cold filtered)
Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage ( you can substitute this for another if you don't DO pork, we like the flavor of the SAGE)

Brown the SAGE Sausage and REALLY cook it good, let it sit out on paper towel to absorb the fat when done and set aside...
Do all your chopping!  set aside...

Rice.. Rince your rice under cold water till clear.. Shake it to be certain... this is important... Next shake it to get some of the excess water OUT.... Now in a nice sized pan that has a fitting lid, add enough olive Oil to cover the bottom... heat it up till hot and then add your rice... stir stir stir... keep this up you want to crisp it up a bit... Add the green onions...They will turn a brilliant green.... Stir stir stir...

Add the Beans... Stir Stir Stir.. Do NOT have your flame up too high... but not to low.. a nice med-med/high... add your garlic and ginger... stir stir stir.. it should smell AMAZING ... add some Tumeric, not too much, but don't be stingy... just try it out...

HOW MUCH... I don't know... It was my first time.. I just .... sprinkled... till it was a pretty color...
Add some cumin too... It won't taste Mexican I promise... It will taste so different I promise!  Keep stirring this up as you are adding in the seasonings.. add some paprika, and plenty of Sea Salt !  also Pepper, remember the list, add a little and stir, add a little more and stir...
when it smells simply WOW (and it will...) add the herbs, and stir, add the meat and stir... right about now the GREEN from the herbs will almost glow with the tumeric... and you'll wonder if I am NUTZO... but I am not :)

Add 5 cups Water... (you could add broth.. I didn't.. and it tasted amazing.. I bet broth would taste even better, but remember if you use a broth with lots of salt, don't add as much during the seasoning phase)
Bring to a boil... Reduce to simmer and cover...
Cook like you would Rice.. but remember you don't want it dry... I think it took about 20 minutes. I left a bit of moisture in.. I just wanted the rice DONE.. and I stirred it all up before I presented it to the family...

The were scared... but they tried it..
and everyone said...
WOW...
they ate a ton
and all asked for the left overs for lunch...
there is NO more for me to show you...
Bon Appetite :)