Kitchen Play(ing) with Land O’Lakes 4 Cheese Italian Blend

This assignment for Kitchen PLAY is all about cheese. Specifically, the new 4 Cheese Italian Blend from Land O’Lakes. It combines Asiago, Romano, Parmesan and American cheeses into a cheese that you’ll want to use all over the place. It’s tangy and creamy, sharp and mild--all at once. It’s new in your local delis. If your deli doesn’t carry it yet, get on their case--you want this cheese!

Land O’Lakes is celebrating summer in a big way. Be on the lookout for 30 Days of Outdoor Dining! I’m one of thirty bloggers creating delicious recipes with 4 Cheese Italian Blend, so you’ll have plenty of new ideas for packing a picnic and heading to the park or the beach, or walking right out your door and firing up the grill!

I came up with two dishes just waiting to be packed in your picnic basket. I think you’re going to love them both. Not only are they super simple to make, but they’re bursting with flavor! The first one is a pizza inspired puff pastry tart. It’s got the 4 Cheese Italian Blend, sliced pork and salami, mushrooms, peppers and fresh basil. For the second dish, I went the dessert route. Little puff pastry parcels with the same cheese, sliced apples and cinnamon sugar. Like little not too sweet pies! All hand held, and all easy.

Supremely Tasty Puff Pastry Pizza Tart

Makes one (roughly) 12 x 8 inch tart

1 sheet of puff pastry from a 17 oz package, thawed at room temp for 40 minutes
1/2 pound of sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms 
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, plus Italian Seasoning
1 egg, beaten
Sliced Land O Lakes® 4 Cheese Italian Blend
Sliced deli meat (I used a thinly sliced roasted pork)
Small slices of Italian Salami
Jarred roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped. (I used half of a small jar, about 8 oz.)
Fresh basil leaves, sliced in ribbons, about 1/2 cup. (To slice into ribbons, stack up the leaves, roll them up and slice across.)
Grated Parmesan Cheese for sprinkling over the top

Heat oven to 400. Place a baking sheet (Mine are 18 x 13”) in the oven to get it nice and hot while you prepare the tart. On a second baking sheet, place a piece of parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium skillet over medium high heat, heat the butter and oil. Sauté the mushrooms until nicely golden brown, about 10 minutes. Season with the salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning. Remove from pan and set aside.

Roll the sheet of puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface. You want it roughly 16 x 12 inches. Cut it in half the long way to form two rectangles, roughly 16 x 6. Put one piece of the pastry on the parchment lined baking sheet. Brush some of the beaten egg along the edges of the pastry--in about a 1/2 inch border.

Start adding your fillings. Staying within the egg wash border, make a layer of the Land O Lakes® 4 Cheese Italian Blend, then sliced pork, then a layer of salami. Next, put down a layer of the cooked mushrooms. Now add the chopped roasted peppers and the sliced basil.

Place the second rectangle of pastry dough over the fillings, and gently press the edges to the bottom. Starting at one corner, roll the bottom edge of the dough up over the top edge, and crimp as you go all around the tart. Gently press the edges with a fork. It doesn't matter if they look messy. Puff pastry is very forgiving and will look beautiful after it's baked!

Brush some egg wash all over the top of the tart, and then dust the top with grated parmesan. Make a few slits along the top to allow steam to escape. Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and carefully slide the tart, along with it's parchment paper, on to the hot sheet, and return it to the oven to bake for 20 minutes. It should be a deep golden brown when it's done. Remove from the parchment paper, and place it on a rack to cool.

Slice and serve immediately, or pack the entire tart (unsliced) to bring on your picnic or outing. Serve warm or at room temp.

Bonus second recipe!

Apple and Cheese Puffed Parcels

Makes 8

1 sheet of puff pastry from a 17 oz package, thawed at room temp for 40 minutes
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 slices of Land O Lakes 4 Cheese® Italian Blend
1 medium apple, cored and thinly sliced (you don't need to peel it)
Cinnamon Sugar

Heat oven to 400. Place a baking sheet (I use an 18 x 13) in the oven to get it nice and hot while you prepare the tart. On a second baking sheet, place a piece of parchment paper. Set aside.

Roll the puff pastry sheet out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 16 x 11 inches. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut it into 8 rectangles. Place the rectangles on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush some egg wash on the edges of the rectangles. Take one slice of the cheese and fold it in half, then place it on one of the rectangles of dough. Repeat with the next 7 pieces. Next, take a few pieces of the apple, and cut them in half, slicing across the apple, to make smaller pieces. Place 3  or 4 pieces of the apple on the lower half of the cheese pieces.

Fold the pastry rectangles in half, covering the cheese and apple, and seal the edges. Starting at one corner, roll the bottom edge of the dough up over the top edge, and crimp as you go all around the tart. It doesn't matter if they look messy. Puff pastry is very forgiving and will look beautiful after it's baked!

Brush the tops of the parcels with egg wash, and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar. Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and carefully slide the parchment paper and the parcels on to the hot sheet, and return it to the oven to bake for 15 minutes. They should be a deep golden brown when they're done. Remove from the parchment paper, and place them on a rack to cool.

These are wonderful warm or at room temp.

Be on the lookout for more outdoor inspired dishes with Land O Lakes 4 Cheese Italian Blend--and look for the cheese at your local deli! Follow Land O Lakes on Twitter at @LandOLakesKtchn and search the hash tag #kitchenplay to follow along for more 30 Days of Outdoor Dining.

For more information on Kitchen Play, sign up here.

Disclosure Statement

This post was sponsored by Land O’Lakes as part of the Kitchen PLAY SideCar series. All opinions given are my own.

Be sure to check Kitchen PLAY every day for the next fabulous recipe featuring new LAND O LAKES® 4 Cheese Italian Blend or LAND O LAKES® Deli American Cheese. Then, get in on the fun by leaving a comment with your own “30 Days of Outdoor Dining” tip for dining al fresco this summer. If you do, you’ll be entered to win a lovely grilling prize pack, including one grilling spatula, one marinade brush, one set of tongs and one grill scraper. Kitchen PLAY will be giving away four prizes total, one each week! Please visit Kitchen PLAY for sweepstakes guidelines.