Suzanne Pherigo of Fort Collins entered her original recipe for Amaretto Cheese Purses in the Wisconsin Cheese Secret Ingredient competition and showed those cheeseheads a thing or two.
Pherigo not only cooked up the winning recipe, she took the grand prize, winning $10,000 worth of new kitchen appliances and a two-night, three-day trip to New York to cook with Sara Moulton, Food Network host and Gourmet magazine’s executive chef.
In October, the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board launched the competition by asking consumers to submit their favorite recipes featuring Wisconsin cheese. All they had to do was submit an original recipe and proof-of-purchase label with Wisconsin identification.
Pherigo’s cheese purses feature fontina and mascarpone. Fontina is smooth with a mild, slightly tangy flavor, while mascarpone is rich, sweet and buttery, most known for its prominence in the popular Italian dessert, tiramisu.
Pherigo says she wanted to make cheese the centerpiece of her recipe, phyllo leaves filled with cheese and liqueur. A cheese lover, Pherigo says experimenting with new food combinations and creating new recipes is something she truly enjoys. “When I was young, I would always be in the kitchen helping my mom prepare meals. Over time, cooking became one of my favorite hobbies.”
Cooking with cheese is nothing new for Pherigo either. “My family loves cheese,” she says, “and because cheese is such a versatile food, it’s a snap to cook and create with.” Pherigo says you often can find many varieties in the family’s fridge, and while cheddar is her daughter’s hands-down favorite, she has yet to find a cheese her family doesn’t like.
Pherigo’s recipe was chosen from among 930 entries that came in from all over the country, according to Sarah Kittel, a spokesman for the milk marketing board. Recipes were judged by Moulton, who chose the grand-prize winning recipe from 50 first-place finalists.
Contest entries included appetizers, salads, soups, entrees and desserts. To view a complete list of winners, go to WisDairy.com.
Staff writer Ellen Sweets can be reached at 303-820-1284 or esweets@denverpost.com.
Suzanne Pherigo of Fort Collins took first place at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board’s inaugural “Wisconsin Cheese Secret Ingredient” contest held earlier this year. Although her recipe calls for amaretto, she says you can substitute a tablespoon of non-alcoholic amaretto syrup, available from coffee shops or specialty food stores.
Makes 16 purses.
Ingredients:
8 ounces fontina cheese, finely grated
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1 tablespoon amaretto
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
25 sheets phyllo dough (14-by-8 1/2 inches), cut in half (7-by-4 1/4 inches)
4-5 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
Blend fontina and mascarpone until smooth. Add almonds, amaretto, white pepper and cherries. Mix well and chill for at least one hour, up to overnight.
Preheat oven to 375.
Cover phyllo sheets loosely with plastic wrap. Remove only the sheets that you are working with.
Place a half sheet of phyllo on a level work surface and brush with melted butter. Top with another half sheet of phyllo, brush with butter, and repeat with one more half sheet.
Place a tablespoon of cheese mixture in the center. Bring up the edges of the phyllo to form a purse/packet. Place on a heavy sheet been brushed with butter.
Repeat to form 16 packets, placing them 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.
