{"id":24,"date":"2010-07-10T14:44:26","date_gmt":"2010-07-10T19:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/confessionsofafoodie.blog.com\/?p=24"},"modified":"2014-08-04T16:36:04","modified_gmt":"2014-08-04T21:36:04","slug":"i-heart-sofia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blissfulbasil.com\/i-heart-sofia\/","title":{"rendered":"I Heart Sofia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I know what you're thinking: \"Who on earth is Sofia?\" Well, let me begin by telling you how and where I met Sofia. After spending all of yesterday uncomfortably hunched over my laptop and furiously finishing a fairly major assignment for grad school, I woke up this morning craving fresh air and warm sunshine. However, I wanted to branch out from my typical walk-the-streets-and-shop routine. So, I decided to hit-up Green City Market (GCM) in Lincoln Park. I have been putting GCM on my must-go list for far too long without following through, so I considered this the perfect opportunity to make it happen.<\/p>\n

Upon arriving at Green City Market, I immediately decided that everyone and everything around me was happy; the vendors were happy, the dogs were happy, the patrons were happy, even the tomatoes appeared pleasantly content. With all this happiness, I found myself in a blissful mood and slowly perused each of the stands. As usually happens without making a proper list before shopping, I haphazardly gathered whatever looked pretty and\/or delicious. After purchasing a bouquet of\u00a0 fuchsia flowers, a basket of peaches, and a few heirloom tomatoes, I stumbled upon something that made my heart beat just a little bit faster: a goat cheese stand! The kind gentleman running the stand must have seen my eyes light up because he immediately offered me some samples. The second cheese I tasted was the one I had to have; it was velvety, savory, and mild with ribbons of black ash streaming throughout (sounds weird, tastes good). Without hesitation, I picked up a hunk of the deliciousness I had just enjoyed and handed it to the gentlemen to ring up. Smiling, he said, \"Ohh, you like Sofia!\" To which I said, \"Actually, I think I love her!\" Long story, not-so-short, this is how I met Sofia, the amazing goat cheese.<\/p>\n

After arriving home, I decided that I would make Sofia the centerpiece of two simple, but flavorful recipes. I never seem to be satisfied with any one set of flavors at a meal, so I often make two small plates to appease my sweet and savory sides. Based on my cravings, I decided to make an heirloom tomato salad with basil, dots of Sofia, and drizzles of balsamic reduction and a Sofia cheese plate with homemade nectarine-plum compote.<\/p>\n

The GCM heirloom tomatoes made for a brightly-colored salad, but were only really brought to life by the creaminess of the Sofia and tangy sweetness of the balsamic reduction.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Heirloom Tomato Salad Recipe<\/strong> (Serves 1 to 2)<\/p>\n

Blissful Basil\u00a0Recipe<\/em><\/p>\n

2 Heirloom Tomatoes<\/p>\n

4 Large Basil Leaves<\/p>\n

1 oz Sofia Goat Cheese (may substitute regular goat cheese)<\/p>\n

\u2153 cup Balsamic Vinegar<\/p>\n

1 tablespoon Olive Oil<\/p>\n

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper (to taste)<\/p>\n

1. Reduce balsamic by placing \u2153 balsamic vinegar in small pan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until balsamic reaches desired thickness (4-6 minutes).<\/p>\n

2. Thinly slice tomatoes and basil.<\/p>\n

3. Gently crumble 1 oz of Sofia.<\/p>\n

4. Layer tomatoes, basil, and Sofia on serving plate and drizzle with balsamic reduction and olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.<\/p>\n

While the heirloom tomato salad was lovely, the Sofia cheese plate with homemade nectarine-plum compote was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I came home today to find two very ripe nectarines and one lonely, bruised plum who were extremely envious of their new friends' youth (i.e. the unripened peaches that I brought back from GCM). I had to do something with these three little guys, so I decided that a nectarine-plum compote would be the perfect way to jazz-up my cheese plate. However, this compote did more than jazz; it stunned, awed, and amazed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nectarine-Plum Compote Recipe <\/strong>(Makes 1 \u00bd cups)<\/p>\n

Blissful Basil\u00a0Recipe<\/em><\/p>\n

1 Plum (I used red, but any kind will work)<\/p>\n

2 Nectarines<\/p>\n

1 - 3 teaspoon Agave Nectar (may substitute honey)<\/p>\n

\u215b cup Water<\/p>\n

1. Thinly slice plum and nectarines.<\/p>\n

2. Place plum, nectarines, water, and agave nectar in sauce pan over high heat. (Begin with 1 teaspoon agave nectar and add more as needed\/desired).<\/p>\n

3. Bring to a boil.Reduce heat and simmer until desired thickness is reached (approximately 10 minutes).<\/p>\n

4. Serve with cheese platters, atop oatmeal, spooned over ice cream, etc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I know what you're thinking: \"Who on earth is Sofia?\" Well, let me begin by telling you how and where I met Sofia. After spending all of yesterday uncomfortably hunched over my laptop and furiously finishing a fairly major assignment for grad school, I woke up this morning craving fresh air and warm sunshine. However,...<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1027,16],"yoast_head":"\nI Heart Sofia - Blissful Basil<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.blissfulbasil.com\/i-heart-sofia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"I Heart Sofia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I know what you're thinking: "Who on earth is Sofia?" Well, let me begin by telling you how and where I met Sofia. After spending all of yesterday uncomfortably hunched over my laptop and furiously finishing a fairly major assignment for grad school, I woke up this morning craving fresh air and warm sunshine. 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