For my days off, I regularly take advantage of my generous employee discount and bring back cheeses for my family and friends in Springfield. I have a surprising number of friends who have an aversion to goat cheese: "It tastes too barn-y or soapy." Well-made goat cheese should not taste barn-y or goaty. Those flavors come from the mistreatment of the milk. Goat's milk is very fragile compared to cow's milk. The more it sits around, the more it breaks up, leading to soapy and rancid flavors. Most commercial goat cheese producers work with large quantities of not-so-fresh milk and pasteurize it hot and fast, which leads to unsavory flavors. At Prairie Fruits, we gently heat and pasteurize our milk at lower temperatures. The milk is then allowed to slowly acidify over a longer time to retain the delicate, earthy flavors. Large-scale goat cheese producers usually use GMO rennet or veal rennet in their cheesemaking to curdle the milk. These rennets are cheaper, but not ideal for goat milk. We use a more expensive kid rennet specifically created to interact with goat's milk.
Fresh chèvre is a delicious spreadable cheese that's a great addition to a cheeseboard. Pair it with some strawberry jam or honey. It's best served at room temperature, so let it sit outside the fridge for 20 to 40 minutes before serving. Chèvre is also good to cook with. A breaded and baked round of chèvre makes a wonderful salad topper. For a quick pasta sauce, simply heat some diced tomatoes in a pan and melt a small round of chèvre.
Goat cheese stuffed piquillo peppers with basil oil
Piquillo peppers come from the northern Spanish region of Navarra. The peppers take their name from their narrow triangular shape. Piquillo means "beak" in Spanish. The peppers are roasted over a beechwood fire and packed whole in their juices. Piquillo peppers can be found in specialty food stores or online.
Makes 12 appetizers.
Ingredients:
8 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 ½ tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
12 whole piquillo peppers, drained (from a 14.4-ounce can)
For the basil oil:
3 cups packed fresh basil, stems removed
1 cup grapeseed or avocado oil
Preparation:
Place the goat cheese in a large bowl and slowly beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Increase the speed to high and add the milk, salt and lemon zest. Season the cheese mixture with salt and pepper. Spoon the cheese mixture into a resealable plastic bag and snip off the tip of one corner.
To make the basil oil, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice water. Place a fine mesh strainer over a smaller bowl and set it atop the ice bath.
Pack the basil leaves into a blender canister. Pour the oil into a small saucepan and add a few drops of water. Heat the oil on the stovetop and when you hear the water droplets "pop," remove the pan from the stove and quickly pour over the basil. Cover the blender with a towel and blend at high speed. Transfer the mixture to the strainer and press out all the basil oil with a large spoon or ladle. Transfer the basil oil to a squeeze bottle or jar and discard the solids. Leftover basil oil can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.
Preheat your broiler. With your fingers, gently open the stem end of one of the peppers, being careful not to poke through the pepper. Pipe the cheese into each pepper until about three-quarters full. Place on a lightly oiled sheet tray and broil briefly. If cheese oozes out, carefully push it back in.
To serve: Use a spatula to transfer to a platter or individual plates and drizzle with some of the basil oil.
Baked fresh goat cheese garden salad
Start the goat cheese rounds at least a day ahead to give them time to marinate in the herb oil. Save the leftover oil from marinating them to drizzle over grilled or roasted vegetables.
Serves four
Ingredients:
8 ounces fresh goat cheese
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup Panko
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
8 cups (about 4 good handfuls) spring lettuce mix, washed and dried
For the croutons:
1 day-old baguette, cut into thin slices
½ cup (one stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled and halved
For the vinaigrette:
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
A day ahead, shape the goat cheese into four rounds. Place into a container with the fresh thyme sprigs and cover with 1/2 cup olive oil. Refrigerate and marinate overnight or for up to four days.
Make the croutons: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush both sides of the baguette slices with the melted butter and arrange on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Bake until the tops are light golden brown, about eight minutes. Turn the slices over and bake them until the second sides are golden brown, about seven minutes more. While still warm, rub the croutons with the cut garlic halves.
Bread the goat cheese rounds: Combine the panko and dry thyme in a small, shallow bowl. Remove the marinated goat cheese rounds from the oil, and one at a time, coat with the panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere the crumbs. Arrange the coated rounds on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer to firm the cheese rounds up slightly before baking.
Make the vinaigrette: Combine the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small jar with a lid. Shake vigorously until emulsified.
Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake the cheese rounds until golden brown and bubbly, about eight to 10 minutes.
Lightly coat the lettuce with the vinaigrette and divide between four salad plates. Place a goat cheese round in the center of the salad and arrange the croutons around the cheese. Serve immediately.
