DINNER 183: Sunday, July 2, 2006

This evening, Wendy & I went to her clients/friends Tammy & Johnny’s housewarming/fireworks show at their new log home in Batavia. It was nice to hang around on their large plot of land, and their new house is really awesome.

We dined on burgers, bratts, and dogs, along with other items brought by other guests at the party. I made an Herbed Goat Cheese Spread that was pretty darned good. After dinner (and several rounds of Cornhole and enjoyable antics by their dogs), a fireworks show was presented and was very nice.

With this meal, we’ve crossed the halfway point in this year-long exercise! 

Here’s the recipe:
-= Exported from BigOven =-

Goat Cheese Spread with Herbs and Olive Oil

Serve with good crackers or slices of walnut bread. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and celery, cut into sticks.

Recipe By: FINE COOKING magazine, April/May 2006, page 41
Serving Size: 6
Cuisine: Uncategorized
Main Ingredient: Cheese
Categories: Quick, Fine Cooking Magazine, Easy, Hors dOeuvres, Appetizers

-= Ingredients =-
11 ounces Goat Cheese
2 tablespoons Heavy cream ; more if needed
2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil ; plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons Dry white wine
to taste Salt & pepper
2 tablespoons Fresh herbs ; chopped (choose two or more: parsley, chives, tarragon, dill)
1 tablespoon Lemon zest ; finely grated
1 ea Celery ; cut into sticks — for dipping
1 box Crackers ; good crackers — for dipping
1 pint Cherry tomatoes ; for dipping

-= Instructions =-
Put the goat cheese, cream, olive oil, and wine in a food processor (or mix in a bowl with a wooden spoon). Pulse just to blend. The mixture should be spreadable; if it’s too thick, add 1 or 2 tablespoons more cream and pulse again. Season with salt and pepper, pulse again, and taste, adjusting the seasoning as necessary. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the herbs for sprinkling, add the rest to the processor. Add 2 teaspoons of the lemon zest. Pulse once more to blend.

Line a small (about 1 1/2 cup) round bowl or cup with a sheet of plastic wrap and fill with the cheese mixture. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

To serve, invert the bowl onto a serving platter and peel off the plastic. With the back of a spoon, level off the top of the cheese and make a small shallow depression. Drizzle olive oil over the top, filling the depression. Sprinkle with the reserved herbs and lemon zest. Arrange the crackers or bread slices, tomatoes, and celery around the cheese and let guests serve themselves.

** This recipe can be pasted into BigOven without retyping. BigOven.com ID= 161325 **
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