Love goat’s cheese? We have some great new recipes curtsey of chef Sophie Wright and Easy Cheesey Chèvre.
French chèvre frais pithivier with aillade
Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients:
For the dish:
2 fresh French goat’s cheeses (chèvre frais)
4 large spinach leaves, stalks removed
2 sheets pre-rolled puff pastry
4 walnut halves
1 egg yolk
30ml milk
Flour for dusting
Salt and pepper
For the sauce:
150g chopped walnuts
2 cloves peeled garlic
200ml walnut oil
30ml red wine vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Juice from half a lemon
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
- Blanch the spinach and refresh in ice cold water. Dry well in a clean cloth. Take the goat’s cheeses and poke the walnuts into the top of each one. Season with lots of pepper and a little salt. Now wrap the cheeses in the spinach leaves and leave to one side.
- Lay out the pre-rolled pastry on a floured work surface. Place both cheeses on the rolled-out pastry, leaving a large gap in between them. Now, combine the egg yolk and milk together and, using a brush, paint around the edges of the cheese. Lay the second sheet of pastry over the first and seal the cheese in place gently using the back of your hand. Make sure all the edges are sealed tightly and there is no trapped air.
- Using a knife or a metal cutter, cut the excess pastry away, leaving a half centimetre border around the cheese.
- Using a sharp knife, lightly score the top of the pastry, ensuring that you don’t go all the way through, in a spiral fashion.
- Brush the pithiviers all over with the remaining egg wash and season with sea salt. Place into the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.
- Make the dressing by blending all of the sauce ingredients together in a mini blender. It can also be done using a pestle and mortar.
- Serve the pithiviers with the sauce and a green salad.
French spreadable fresh goat’s cheese and chickpea falafel
Preparation: 25 minutes Cooking: 5 – 8 minutes
Serves 4 as a starter
Ingredients:
125g French spreadable fresh goat’s cheese
1 tin (200g) chick peas drained
3 cloves peeled chopped garlic
1/2 bunch (2tbsp) coriander
2 lemons
Salt and pepper
200g polenta/corn meal
2 eggs
100g fl our
300ml vegetable oil for frying
Greek yoghurt to serve
Method:
- To make the falafel, place the drained chick peas, the goat’s cheese, coriander, juice of one lemon and the zest of two, salt and pepper into a blender. Pulse until the chickpeas start to break down to a coarse paste.
- Mould the chickpea and goat’s cheese paste into little patties and leave in the fridge to firm up while you prepare the next stage.
- Put the flour and polenta in 2 separate trays, crack the eggs into a bowl and gently whisk.
- Take the falafel and coat in the flour, dust off the excess before dipping it into the egg and then into the polenta.
- Make sure you have sealed all the gaps.
- Heat the oil to 170°C (so a piece of bread fi zzes when dropped in) and gently lay the falafel into the oil. Turn occasionally. Remove once golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper, season with salt and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little Greek yoghurt.
French goat’s cheese pyramid, grilled nectarines and Parma ham salad
Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 6 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the salad:
200g French goat’s cheese pyramid
4 whole nectarines, ripe
8 slices Parma ham
100g pine nuts
2 red endives
50g broad beans, peeled
½ bunch fresh basil
For the dressing:
Zest 1 orange
Juice 1 lemon
100ml olive oil
1 tsp whole grain mustard
Salt and pepper
Method:
- Half and quarter the nectarines and remove the stone. Pre-heat a griddle plate or barbecue until it’s really hot. Rub the quarters with a little olive oil and lay them on the grill until bar marks start to appear. Once this has happened, turn them over and allow to cook on the other side.
- While they are cooking, make the dressing for the salad by mixing the mustard, orange zest and honey together with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make a thick dressing.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry, hot frying pan until they are golden.
- Remove the core from the endive and remove the leaves.
- Now, assemble the endive into a bowl and toss with half of the dressing. Scatter with the warm grilled nectarines, slices of torn Parma ham, fresh broad beans and crumble on the goat’s cheese. Pour the toasted pine nuts into the remaining dressing and pour over the salad. To finish, tear off a few basil leaves and serve immediately.
French goat’s cheese log slice, roasted baby beetroot and parsnip salad
Preparation: 15 – 20 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes
Serves 4 as a starter or light lunch
Ingredients:
For the main:
4 French goat’s cheese log slices
2 large parsnips
8 baby beetroots
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 sprigs thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and pepper
200g salad leaves (red chard, rocket, mâche, frisée)
For the dressing:
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Juice ½ lemon
1 tbsp chervil
1 tsp runny honey
3 tbsp hazelnut oil
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
- Remove the stalks from the baby beetroots and drop in a pan of simmering water and boil for 15 minutes until tender.
- Once cooked, cut the beetroots in half. Drain them well.
- Peel the parsnips and cut into eighths from base to tip. Remove any of the tough core from the centre of the parsnip.
- Lay them on a baking tray with the cooked and halved baby beetroots and coat in the maple syrup, olive oil and the thyme leaves which should be picked from the stalk. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Place in to the pre-heated oven and cook for 20 minutes until they start to turn crispy around the edges.
- While the vegetables are cooking, make the dressing by combining the Dijon mustard, sherry vinegar, honey and lemon juice. Using a mini whisk, slowly pour in the hazelnut oil until a smooth, thick dressing has been made. Season with salt and pepper and add in the fresh chervil.
- Place the goat’s cheese log slices onto a separate baking tray and place into the hot oven for 8 to 10 minutes to allow the middle of the cheese to melt.
- Now, mix the chosen salad leaves with the roasted parsnips and beetroots. Dress lightly before piling the salad on to 4 separate plates and then placing the hot cheese next to the salad. Drizzle with a little of the left-over dressing.
Grilled French goat’s cheese mini-log and walnut pesto ciabatta
Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 10 minutes
Makes 1 sandwich
Ingredients
For the main:
75g French goat’s cheese from a minilog
1 ciabatta roll
1 handful rocket
1 courgette
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 lemon
For the pesto:
50g walnuts
1 small bunch basil (leaves only)
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley
50g grated parmesan
75ml extra virgin olive oil
Juice and zest 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper
Method:
- Start your sandwich by first making the pesto. This can be done up to a week in advance. Take the parsley and basil leaves and place in a food processor along with the chopped garlic, walnuts, parmesan, olive oil and lemon zest. Blitz to a chunky paste, before adding the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Make sure you taste it for seasoning. You may need a squeeze more lemon.
- Heat up a griddle pan to the highest setting. Slice the courgette very thinly. Coat them in olive oil, season with salt and pepper and lay them on the hot griddle pan. Leave them to cook until bar lines start to appear, turn them over, add a squeeze ofmlemon juice and leave to cook on the other side for about the same length of time.
- While the courgettes are cooking, cut the ciabatta in half, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Lay the bread cutside down onto the griddle pan and allow to char for a few minutes.
- Spread both sides of the warmed bread with the walnut pesto.
- Once the courgettes are cooked, lay them on to the pestocovered ciabatta and crumble over plenty of goat’s cheese, drizzle with yet more olive oil and place under a hot grill until the cheese starts to melt and bubble.
- Once cooked, lay on plenty of rocket, place the two halves of the sandwich together and eat straight away.