CREATIVE SYNDICATE

Whether you're hosting a holiday open house or a sit-down feast with family and friends, you want dishes that impress, but aren't too complicated to make. These easy and elegant holiday recipes start with rich and savory Wisconsin-made cheeses from Roth Cheese. You can find more recipes for your holiday celebrations at www.rothcheese.com.

Seafood Thermidor Dip

Yield: 3 cups

• 6 ounces cooked lobster tails and claws, coarsely chopped

• 1 medium shallot, minced

• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• 2 cups Alfredo sauce

• 3 tablespoons cream sherry

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 1/2 cups Grand Cru Gruyere cheese, shredded

• 6 1/8 ounces crab, lump-style

• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In mixing bowl combine lobster, shallot, garlic, Alfredo sauce, sherry, lemon juice and cheese; stir together until wellcombined. Gently fold in crab.

Place mixture in shallow baking dish (approximately 8 x 8); top with breadcrumbs and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

CREATIVE SYNDICATE

Spinach Pesto Crostini

Yield: Approximately 30 servings

Pesto:

• 1 head garlic

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 pound spinach

• 3/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds, toasted

• 6 ounces GranQueso cheese, grated Crostini:

• 1 medium baguette, cut into 1/2- inch-thick slices

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 8 sundried tomatoes, quartered lengthwise

• 3 ounces GranQueso cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place garlic in aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap. Roast for 45 minutes. Remove roasted garlic cloves from skin.

Blanch spinach in hot water for 30 to 40 seconds. Remove spinach from water, and pat dry.

In food processor, blend roasted garlic, spinach, sunflower seeds and cheese until smooth.

Reduce oven heat to 350°F.

Place baguette slices on baking sheet, brush with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Evenly spread pesto onto crostini. Top with sundried tomato and grated cheese.

Horseradish and Chive

Havarti Fondue

Yield: Approximately 4 servings

• 1/2 cup Pinot Grigio

• 1 1/2 cups Horseradish and Chive

Havarti, shredded (plus extra for garnish)

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

• Cubed bread

• Hard and soft pretzels

• Tortilla chips

• Pickles

• Pita chips

• Blanched vegetables

• Fresh chives, chopped (optional)

Stir together cheese, wine, mustard and mayonnaise in ceramic fondue pot.

Cook over low heat for approximately 7 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

When cheese has melted completely, remove pot from stove and transfer to a tabletop burner.

Garnish with extra cheese and chives. Serve with dipping items.

Baked Roesti

Yield: 12 mini muffins or 6 full-size muffins

• 2 1/2 cups frozen shredded hash browns

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

• 1/4 cup onion, minced

• 1 tablespoon flour

• 3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 cup Grand Cru Gruyere, shredded

• 2 ounces Grand Cru Gruyere,

• 1/2-inch cubes

• Crëme fraóche or sour cream (optional)

• Fresh chives, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a nonstick muffin pan with vegetable oil spray.

In a mixing bowl, gently break apart frozen hash browns.

Stir in butter, onions, flour, bacon, salt, pepper and egg.

Fold shredded cheese into hash brown mixture until well combined.

Evenly distribute mixture in muffin pan. Press mixture firmly into molds. Press a small cube of cheese into the center of each muffin.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is golden brown and crispy. Allow to rest for 2 to 3 minutes before removing muffins from tray.

Garnish with a dollop of crëme and chives.