Herbed Goat Cheese Recipes

HERBED GOAT CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• In a medium bowl crumble goat cheese. Meanwhile in a small chilled bowl, whip cream until thickened; stir into goat cheese.
• Stir in herbs, shallot, lemon peel, and garlic. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Thin with additional cream, if desired. Serve on toasted baguette slices.

HERB COATED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Arrange the bread slices on 2 heavy baking sheets. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the bread slices. Bake until the crostini are pale golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir the herbs, lemon zest, pepper, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using about 2 teaspoons of cheese for each, form the goat cheese into 1-inch diameter balls. Roll the cheese balls in the herb mixture to coat completely. Arrange the cheese balls on a platter. Drizzle the extra-virgin olive oil over and around the cheese balls. Serve with the crostini. Garnish with herb sprigs.
• The crostini and cheese balls can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store the crostini in an airtight container at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate the cheese balls.

HERBED GOAT-CHEESE TOASTS

Steps:

• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Divide baguette slices between 2 shallow baking pans. Lightly brush tops of slices with oil, then lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until toasts are crisp but not hard, about 10 minutes.
• Stir together goat cheese, herbs, shallot, and pepper. Season with salt.
• Beat cream with a whisk until it just holds soft peaks, then fold into cheese mixture. Serve with toasts.

HERBED GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out dough into a 13-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and fit into a 10 or 11-inch round tart pan with a removable rim. Prick dough all over with a fork and chill 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake tart shell on a baking sheet in middle of oven 10 minutes, or until almost cooked through but still pale.
• In a food precessor blend cheeses, yolks, flour, and butter until smooth. Stir in chopped herbs and pour filling into tart shell. Bake tart 20 minutes, or until filling is just set. Sprinkle tart with herb leaves and continue baking until filling and crust are pale golden. Cool tart in pan on a rack and remove rim. Serve tart warm or at room temperature.

HERBED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Arrange cheese on a small plate. Sprinkle with oregano, red-pepper flakes, and lemon zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Serve immediately with crostini or crackers.

HERBED GOAT CHEESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine olive oil, wine, and chicken broth in a saucepan; simmer over medium heat until reduced by about 1/2.
• Add the parsley, goat cheese, salt and pepper, and garlic.
• Continue simmering, stirring frequently, until sauce is creamy and thickened to your liking.

APRICOTS WITH HERBED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Place goat cheese, minced basil, chives and milk in a mini food processor; process until smooth. Arrange apricot slices on a serving platter. Drop goat cheese mixture by teaspoonfuls over top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; drizzle with balsamic glaze. Garnish with additional basil leaves. Serve immediately.

HERBED GOAT CHEESE APPETIZER

Steps:

• Soak the sundried tomatoes in the wine for 30 minutes or overnight for best results.
• Mix the goat and cream cheeses together in a bowl, blending well.
• Remove the sundried tomatoes, chop them fine, and discard the wine. Add to cheese mixture.
• Add all other ingredients.
• Mix very well until evenly blended.
• Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• To serve in a puff pastry shell, bake the shells according to the package instructions. Cool them to room temperature.
• Place a scoop of the herbed goat cheese mix into each pastry shell.
• Return the shells to the oven and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes to just warm them.
• Best served warm with a knife to spread the herbed cheese onto pieces of the pastry.

ROASTED HERBED SQUASH WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Toss squashes with oil and seasonings. Transfer to 2 foil-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pans., Roast squash, stirring once, until soft and some pieces are caramelized, 30-35 minutes. Switch position of pans midway through roasting to ensure even doneness. If a darker color is desired, broil 3-4 in. from heat 2-4 minutes., Cool slightly. To serve, add goat cheese to squash; gently toss. Sprinkle with parsley; drizzle with maple syrup.

HERBED GOAT CHEESE AND ROASTED PEPPER TOASTS

Steps:

• Roast the pepper: Place the bell pepper directly over the open flame of a gas burner, under the broiler or on a hot, glowing charcoal grill. Let the skin of the pepper blacken and blister, using tongs to turn the pepper frequently. When completely blackened, after 5 to 8 minutes, transfer to a plate to cool.
• Using a paring knife, cut pepper in half lengthwise. Cut away seeds and stem and discard. Scrape away the skin and discard. Do not rinse. It's OK if a few bits of charred skin remain.
• Cut pepper halves into long strips about 1-inch wide. Season lightly with salt. (The pepper can be prepared up to 24 hours ahead of serving.)
• Marinate the goat cheese: Slice the goat cheese log into 10 pieces (each about 3/4-inch thick). Place pieces in a single layer on a plate and pour 1/4 cup oil over.
• Strip leaves from a few thyme sprigs and a rosemary sprig, roughly chop and sprinkle over the cheese. Finish with a bit of freshly ground black pepper, and a small pinch of red-pepper flakes. Cover and set aside. (This can also be done up to 24 hours ahead.)
• Set oven to 350 degrees. Cut the baguette on a diagonal into 10 slices, each about 1/4-inch thick. (If using ciabatta, cut into similar-size pieces.) Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer, then place in oven for about 5 minutes, until bread is barely toasted.
• Remove from oven and carefully give each toast a light swipe with the garlic clove. Lay a strip of roasted pepper across each toast to cover. Place a goat cheese round in the center of each toast. Spoon the remaining olive oil from the plate generously over each piece of cheese and any exposed toast.
• To finish, return to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the bread is nicely browned and the cheese has gotten a bit of color, 8 to 10 minutes. Let toasts cool a bit, then arrange on a platter and serve. (They taste best at room temperature or just barely warm.) Toasts can be baked up to 1 hour ahead and popped in the oven to reheat slightly.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH HERBED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a baking sheet, and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the shallots, and cook until they turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper; cook and stir an additional 2 minutes. Transfer the shallot mixture to a bowl. Mix in the goat cheese, dates, and basil; stir until well combined.
• With a sharp knife, cut a 1-inch long slit into the thick side of each chicken breast. Work your fingers into the slit, and expand the slit to form a pocket in the breast meat. With your fingers or a spoon, stuff each chicken breast with about 1/4 cup of the goat cheese mixture. Wipe off any cheese mixture from the outside of the chicken breast, and wrap each breast in a slice of prosciutto so that the pocket opening is covered. Place the chicken breasts, seam sides down, onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken meat is no longer pink and the prosciutto is browned and crisp, about 40 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over after 20 minutes.