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Tag Archives: Goat Cheese
Before I share this amazing recipe with you, I wanted to tell you about a fun event we are participating in this month; Kitchen PLAY. don’t know about you, but I love playing in the kitchen and get really excited when offered the opportunity to try new gadgets and ingredients. Don’t we all love to play in the kitchen; after all, isn’t that why you are here?
Kitchen PLAY represents a new sponsored Progressive Party every month with six food bloggers. Each food blogger is assigned one of the following courses: cocktails, amuse bouche, salad, appetizer/soup, entree and dessert. All bloggers have to incorporate the same kitchen tool or food product into their course. Sounds fun doesn’t it!
I was thrilled when I was asked to play along this month. The sponsor for this month’s Progressive Party is Lindsay Olives. Lindsay Olives are located in the central valley of California, where the sun shines, and it gets hot. Perfect weather to grow delicious olives. I love that they do not use any preservatives when processing their olives. Just ripe, natural, goodness with every bite! Lindsay Olives is currently celebrating the theme “Life Should Taste Good”, and I cannot agree more. Life should taste good.
I was assigned to bring an appetizer to the party using at least one Lindsay Olives product. Once I read up on the different olives, I decided to use two different types: green ripe olives and black medium olives. Normally when I make this recipe I only use black olives, but after I read about how “buttery” the green olives were, I had to throw them in. This recipe is the perfect starter for your next dinner party. Buttery puff pastry wraps around tangy goat cheese that is full of ripe olives, lemon zest, and fresh oregano.
Lindsay Olives is also sponsoring a delicious giveaway at Kitchen PLAY. Simply recreate this or any recipe from this month’s Progressive Party, post about the experience on your blog and provide a link to your post on Kitchen PLAY to enter. All qualifying bloggers in each course will be entered to win $50 and an assortment of Lindsay Olives products shipped directly to each winner (valued at an additional $15). To qualify, participants must reside in the US.
The deadline is January 31, 2012. Please review the complete contest rules before entering. Good luck!
** Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Kitchen PLAY and Lindsay Olives; opinions stated are my own.
Recipe: Olive and Goat Cheese Turnovers
- Puff Pastry, 2 boxes
- 10 oz goat cheese, room temperature
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 medium shallot
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- fresh oregano, handful, minced finely
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 egg
- Let puff pastry thaw at room temperature, according to directions on the packaging.
- Heat the oven to 350.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a fork, break up the goat cheese, until smooth.
- In a food processor, mince the shallot into small pieces. Remove from the food processor. Then do the same process with the olives. You will need to use the pulse mode so that you do not over process the olives into mush.
- Gently heat the olive oil, over low heat, in a frying pan.
- Add the shallots and cook until soft; about 3 minutes.
- Add the olives, stir, and cook over low heat for another 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, and the oregano.
- Remove from the heat, and season with pepper. Let cool.
- Once cooled, add to the goat cheese, and using a fork, stir until mixed.
- On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a large square. Cut into equal sized squares: about 14 squares per rolled out sheet of puff pastry. You can go a little smaller or larger, depending on the look you want.
- Put a teaspoon of the goat cheese mixture on one corner.
- Using a pastry brush, dab a little water, around the sides of the cut square, and then fold over to make a triangle.
- Put onto the baking sheet.
- Make an egg wash with the egg, and a tablespoon of water. Mix very well. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops of the triangles.
- Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, until puffed, and golden.
- Serve.
- Eat.
I have been meaning to share this with you but have not really had the time to do much the past couple weeks. I had to get it to you for the weekend as you are going to want to make this immediately!!!!
I have admit ……. I have made this twice in less than thirty days. Yes, it really is that good! I made it once for Easter brunch and again, for a dinner party with Allison, Janet and Megan. I liked the second cake better. The first time was delicious but the texture was a bit creamy for me. I like my cheesecakes to be on a bit drier and I DO NOT mind the pretty crack that forms down the middle. I baked the first one for 40 minutes and the second cake I baked for 50.
Passion fruit. We both love passion fruit but have a hard time finding fresh around here. I have found a puree that I like so we use that very often in macarons, panna cotta, pavolas, cocktails and now curd. If you can find fresh, use that, as I think the addition of seeds would be beautiful. If not, puree is perfect. This recipe is devine. Smooth, creamy and slightly tart. The perfect pairing with this cheesecake.
What is your favorite cheesecake recipe? And why?
Recipe: Goat Cheese Cheesecake
Recipe: Passion Fruit Curd
We had an early tomato appearance at our house last week. I normally wait until May or June before buying the first of many tomatoes; but, they looked so pretty at the store that I could not refuse. I love heirloom tomatoes not only because of their amazing sugary sweet taste or their juicy texture; also, because they are not perfect. I love the different shapes, sizes, bumps, lumps and many colors. As soon as I saw these two odd shaped yellow and red ones I knew they were coming home with me.
I had help making this tart. No, not Lenny; that would have warranted a video to entertain you. I had E & M of MEM. I mentioned to them that I was going to make a tart out of tomatoes and their interest was definitely peaked. The girls have really taken on a huge interest in food and cooking, especially Ella. I have to say I admire her many questions and the desire to learn. She was there every step of the way, from lining the tart pan, to mixing the filling, to layering the tomatoes and then on to photographing even before sampling. She helped with setting up the tart on different plates until we got it just right as well she waited with anticipation after every click of the camera – wanting to see the picture, to make sure they were okay. Maggie, was not far behind, trailing after her big sister and wanting to do just as she was doing. Now we know we have some foodies in training; but, maybe there is a career of photography lurking also! It was definitely fun to have help making this tart, especially 20 little fingers and two big smiles!
The base of this tart is a slightly peppery and flaky crust. We made a goat cheese based custard filling for the base of the tart and then layered slices of the beautiful heirloom tomatoes over the top. Tomatoes and goat cheese are not complete without a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkling of maldon salt and fresh thyme from the garden. Serve this with a mixed green salad lightly dressed with white balsamic and olive oil, as well as a nice of Rose! Perfect! The girls even loved the taste of the tart!
How do you like to use your Heirloom Tomatoes?
Recipe: Savory Tomato Tart
Galette is a French term used for free form crusty cakes; think, buckwheat crepes from the Normandy area. I love galettes, either sweet or savory, they are wonderful. And I really love their rustic appearance. I know when I see a Galette that it will be simple good food.
I had some beets left over from the market last weekend and decided I would make a simple galette with them. I seasoned my pastry dough with a generous handful of fresh thyme and then lined the dough with goat cheese, beets, olive oil and a sprinkle of maldon salt. It was lovely, really lovely and made the perfect light dinner, especially when paired with some soup or a small salad.
Do you like Galettes? If so, are you sweet or savory? What is your favorite recipe? Do tell ….. we are always looking for new inspiration from our readers.
Recipe: Beet and Goat Cheese Galette
Click the printer icon for a downloadable PDF of this recipe
Okay, who out there has been saving up for the big “love” day coming up on the 14th? Come on, you know who you are! Haven’t had any love all year, getting ready for the big night, fancy restaurant booked, pretty dress or new shirt (depending who is reading this) is purchased, champagne is pre-arranged and you are ready to devour your Valentine’s date! But, wait, you are going to that fancy restaurant, where you will have 4 or 5 courses of rich food that you will wash down with that pre-arranged bottle of bubbly and a bottle of wine…… as you walk out the door, jump into a taxi and proceed to drive at least 20 minutes home, it is clear that you will not be devouring anyone. In fact, sweet love making will be the furthest thing from your mind – admit it now! More than likely you will be complaining (to yourself) about the wad of cash you just blew as you reach for the “tums”.
Valentine’s Day Plan B – stay in. WHAT? STAY IN? BORING!!! Not, it really is not, just think about it ……… You get to set the scene: Candles, flowers, linens, a bottle of bubbly and a nice home cooked meal or a blanket spread out on the living room floor, pizza delivery, a jug of wine, and a collection of your favorite xxx movies – okay, maybe not the movies but you get our drift. Regardless, you are home, you are comfortable, you will not gorge yourself silly full of fancy food and you have saved enough money that you will be able to spring for a nice box of chocolates and a card as well.
We always stay in for Valentine’s Day, we won’t be telling you which scenario will be taking place but we will be telling you that the following recipe is a great way to start a romantic evening at home. It is decadent but still light enough so that you will not feel stuffed when you have cleaned (more like licked) the plate; remember, saving room for that love making! Not only is it a great appetizer but it also makes a wonderful light meal when paired with a simple frisee salad. I just toss the frisee with lemon juice, olive oil, fresh thyme and a little salt, it pairs wonderfully with the creamy goat cheese, salty pancetta and sweet honey – if you don’t use all the honey, that is a nice little addition to the party you will be having after dinner … just saying!
Recipe: Goat Cheese with Pancetta
*originally shared this recipe March 2009
40z of fresh goat cheese cut into rounds - made 4 slices
4 thin slices of pancetta
olive oil
honey to taste – we used a nice chestnut honey
warmed baguette
Tightly wrap the goat cheese with the pancetta. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan, heat over low – medium heat. Pan sear the wrapped goat cheese over low – medium heat until the pancetta is golden and the cheese lightly melted. Remove from heat and plate. Drizzle with honey. Serve. Eat.
The creaminess as well as the tartness of goat cheese rounds out the sweetness that roasting brings to fresh squash, the garlicky tahini dressing is the added bonus.
We made this dish a couple weeks ago to serve with our lemon rosemary roasted chicken. When we were planning this menu we had no idea that the finished meal would be a “mini” pre-Thanksgiving. This acorn squash dish was inspired by a roasted pumpkin dish I found in Australian Gourmet. This dish is middle eastern inspired by using a garlicky tahini dressing, cilantro and goat cheese, which went very well with the roasted acorn squash. In fact, this would be a great substitution for those “yams” that always find their way onto a Thanksgiving table. As well it makes a great vegetarian meal.
Recipe: Roast Pumpkin Wedges with almonds, goat’s cheese and tahini dressing
*adapted from Australian Gourmet
3 lb kabocha pumpkin or sugar pie pumpkin * we used acorn squash as we could not find pumpkin
1/4 cup olive oil
85 grams natural almonds – we did not add the almonds, we were going to use pumpkin seeds but ran out of time
80 grams soft goat’s cheese
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon tahin
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350. Place pumpkin wedges, skin side down, in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, season to taste and roast until tender 45 – 50 minutes. Meanwhile, roast almonds on an oven tray until golden, 6 – 7 minutes, cool, then coarsely chop. For the tahini dressing, crush garlic cloves to a smooth paste in a mortar and pestle, whisk in the remaining ingredients and season to taste. Divide pumpkin wedges among plates, crumble over the cheese, scatter with the almonds and cilantro leaves, and drizzle with the tahini dressing. Serve. Eat.
Pasta is tossed with good olive oil, goat cheese, olives and fresh herbs to make an easy and tasty dinner.
We had some left over olives and goat cheese from our dinner with Stephen. Instead of eating it or tossing it out, I tucked it away in the fridge, to do something with. Last week we had a late evening of work and gym and this hidden treasure came in perfectly.
The olives were seasoned perfectly with fresh herbs and lemon zest, all that was left was a tad bit more seasoning. I love browned garlic over a fresh steamy bowl of pasta, so I decided to thinly slice some garlic and make garlic chips. I gently cooked them with olive oil and few red pepper flakes. While the garlic was cooking I cooked some pasta. One the pasta was finished all I had to do was drain it, toss in the left over olives and goat cheese, sprinkle the garlic chips over and give the dish a light drizzle of good olive oil ~ a quick, easy and incredibly tasty dinner in under 20 minutes! The combination of the tangy but creamy goat cheese went very well with the fresh lemon zest, the salty olives and the spicy red pepper.
Recipe: Pasta with Olives, Goat Cheese and Garlic Chips
2 oz mixed olives
handful of fresh herbs – we used rosemary and thyme
lemon zest
2 cloves of garlic, thinly slices
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
pasta
good olive oil
Cook pasta according to directions, reserve about 1/4 cup of cooking liquid. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and good garlic with red pepper flakes until crispy and golden brown. Toss pasta with reserved cooking liquid, olives, goat cheese, herbs, zest crispy garlic and drizzle over a small amount of good olive oil. Serve. Eat.
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