Jun 16, 2010

QUICK & TASTY: FRESH GOAT CHEESE TWO WAYS

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I love fresh goat cheese- I love it's taste and texture and that it is like a blank slate to which you can add a variety of ingredients especially if you're looking to enjoy something quick to make and full of taste.
When I opened the fridge the other day, heard the birds chirping outside, and felt the sunrays shining through the kitchen windows (wow, does this all sound way too perfect or what?) , I knew that the goat cheese on that refrigerator shelf needed a bit of a revamp. Plain goat cheese was just not an option on a lovely sunny day!
What it needed was a bit of a crunch, something sweet, and it definately could make use of some fresh herbs.
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Walnuts & dried apricots are just perfect with goat cheese... dont forget a dash of black pepper too
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Add some fresh chopped mint leaves on that too
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Mix everything and get ready to spread on a delicious toasted slice of bread
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The other option with fresh goat cheese is to let it marinate in some olive oil combined with some ingredients of your choice. This will taste delicious if you leave it set for 24 - 48 hours. Here I used the same ingredients: walnuts, dried apricots and black pepper but replaced the mint with fresh basil leaves.
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What are your favourite flavour pairings with fresh goat cheese?

5 comments:

Ciao Chow Linda said...

I've marinated goat cheese with olive oil and used fresh and/or dried herbs, but never tried it in a sweet version like you posted. Sounds like a great idea.

Joy said...

I love goat cheese. I really like the though of using dried apricots and walnuts. Great combo :D

Sally H. said...

I make goat cheese, so have plenty and am always looking for more ways to "use it up". Some herb combinations we enjoy include basil and garlic, red pepper and hot sauce, tarragon and lemon zest. I've never tried soaking chevere (fresh goat cheese) in olive oil, but do that with feta after it has been in a brine for 2 weeks.

I've also found that I can use chevere as a butter substitute in cakes, etc. (not for all the butter - that makes the crust too chewy - but for up to 3/4.)

Marianna said...

oh wow... using it as a butter substitute in cakes sounds interesting! never tried that before!

sweetbird said...

You know, I've thought of marinating all sorts of things but never goat cheese. Fabulous!