Herbed Goat Cheese

Thank goodness readers like flexibility and adaptability as much as I do because here's my latest "concept" recipe – a creamy goat cheese and cottage cheese base studded with bits of your favorite vegetables and fresh herbs, baked into a soft, warm custard. It's cozy, it's homey and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for a convivial way to kick off a gathering or enjoying a quiet night in.

Whole Food, Fast & Flexible, Mere Minutes to the Table. Quick & Easy for Impromptu Gatherings. Extra Welcome When "Supper's a Little Skimpy". A New Addition to The Homemade Pantry, a Kitchen Parade Specialty. Easily Adapted to Your Family's Tastebuds. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Great for Meal Prep. Potluck & Party Friendly. Scales from Small Plates to Large Platters. Easy DIY. Low Carb. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Vegetarian. What're you waiting for?! So Good!!

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But First, Life Lessons from a Dog

For being half lab, my dog’s still half wimp when it comes to water.

She was just four days from the pound when she and 50 other dogs scampered into a local pool that opens up for pooches when it closes for people at summer's end. When someone threw her in, she threw herself out of the water and onto the safe-looking lap of an unsuspecting stranger. Once. Twice. And then once more.

Later, she was invited to swim with just two dogs. Determined to avoid the water, she hid in the surrounding bushes, up-ending a nest of yellow jackets. YOUCH.

But she’s progressed in three years, thanks to regular romps in shallow water at the park and a little stick-fetching at a nearby lake. She even swims now, and happily, especially with a frisbee or tennis (or soccer!) ball in sight.

At last year’s dog swim, my goal was to teach her to leap into the water from the side. Time and again, she threw herself into a shallow, cloudy pool with no sign of a bottom. But when it came to the deeper, clear-as-tap-water pool, off she ran, seeking the safety of some lap.

There’s a lesson there, don’t you think?

Just think about it. When Lady was unable to see the bottom, she leapt with abandon. But when she can see the bottom, she turns timid, afraid even.

End-of-season dog swims are back on the calendar. Who knows this year’s lesson from a water-wimpy but life-smart dog?

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Recipe Overview: Herbed Goat Cheese

• This recipe is for a savory warm baked goat cheese appetizer that's studded with small bits of vegetables and fresh herbs, all of your choice. The texture is light, soft and almost custard-like, easy to scoop onto crackers or crostini or thin baguette slices.
• When to Serve = As a warm starter before dinner, an easy nibble with a glass of wine,
• Vegetarian.
• Distinctive Ingredients = Goat Cheese. Cottage Cheese. Fresh Herbs.
• Short Ingredient List = all the above + butter + 3 egg yolks + flour + lemon zest + salt & pepper + your choice of vegetables + fresh herbs
• For Garnish = Fresh herbs always add!
• Kitchen Tools = All the ingredients are mixed with a hand mixer or food processor or by hand, then baked in a quiche pan.
• Herbed Goat Cheese can be quite pretty, even dramatic.
• This is a time-friendly recipe, it takes about 15 minutes to mix, another 20 - 30 minutes to bake. Time to serve!
• This is pantry-friendly recipe for cooks who keep goat cheese and cottage cheese on hand.
• As written, the recipe makes about 3 cups of Herbed Goat Cheese. It calls for 3 egg yolks so for a smaller batch, use 1/3 or 2/3 of all the other ingredients.
• So good! I hope you love it!


• For another take on warm goat cheese, try my Warm Goat Cheese Appetizer with Mini Tomatoes & Capers.
• Not quite what you're looking for? Check out my other appetizer recipes.

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Wanna Go Fancy?

Honestly, I usually go "plain" with Herbed Goat Cheese. But seriously, it's drop-dead easy to make one very dramatic presentation. Just check this out, nothing more than cornichons, some red pepper spread (thanks, Trader Joe's!), some fresh chive and some dried dill. So easy but isn't it pretty?!

You'll Love Herbed Goat Cheese If You ...

• like a little nibbly before supper
• are known for putting out a spread when friends come over
• have a fridge full of bibs and bobs of one thing/another
• keep fresh herbs on hand, especially during the summer

Ready to get started? Here's your recipe!

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HERBED GOAT CHEESE

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time-to-table: 45 minutes
Makes about 3 cups (easily halved or "thirded" for smaller baking dishes)

CREAMY BASE
• 8 ounces (225g) goat cheese, room temperature (inexpensive logs are perfect here)
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (225g) low-fat cottage cheese
• 3 large egg yolks
• Zest of half a lemon
• ¼ cup (31g) flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (assumes Diamond Crystal) or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

NOW GET CREATIVE
• About ½ cup of color and texture, maybe roasted red pepper, green onion, capers, chopped spinach or even a combination


• About ¼ cup of minced fresh herbs, maybe rosemary or basil or dill or lavender or tarragon or chive or even a combination

Heat oven to 350F/180C.

CREAMY BASE Combine the goat cheese, butter, cottage cheese, egg yolks, zest, flour and seasonings with a hand mixer (or by hand though the mixture will be heavier).

NOW GET CREATIVE Stir in your choices for color, texture and herb flavor.

BAKE Transfer to a well-greased quiche pan. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until just set. Serve warm or at room temperature with crackers or bread. If you like, make in advance and refrigerate, then reheat or return to room temperature.

ALANNA's TIPS Good news, no need to bring the goat cheese and butter to room temperature with a food processor instead of a mixer. But! I do recommend using the food processor just for the goat cheese, butter, cottage cheese, egg yolks and lemon zest, then switching to chopping the remaining ingredients by hand and stirring them in by hand. Alternatively, you could do the veggies and herbs in the food processor (separately) before doing the goat cheese mixture, chopping them with just a couple of pulses and then removing to continue with the goat cheese, then stirring the chopped veggies and herbs in by hand. The goal of all these machinations? To avoid everything getting all mashed up, no one thing distinguishable from the other. Do taste the mixture before turning it into the baking dish, tasting for salt. You want to make sure that something stands out. One version, I went crazy and "decorated" the surface before baking it all, so pretty! I used small cornichons for flower petals, a red pepper spread from Trader Joe's for flower centers, then arranged chopped chive all around and sprinkled it all with dried dill.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per 2 Tablespoons: 35 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 25mg Cholesterol; 38mg Sodium; 1g Carb; 0g Fiber; 0g Sugar; 2g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 1 & SmartPoints 1 & Freestyle 1 & myWW green 1 & blue 1 & purple 1 & future WW points

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Who Loves Goat Cheese?!

more
~ goat cheese recipes ~

• THE RECIPE Warm Goat Cheese Appetizer with Mini Tomatoes & Capers Weeknight easy, worthy of an occasion.
• ANOTHER TAKE Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes An easy summer appetizer including Pita Crisps.

• THE RECIPE Savory Peach Appetizer Fruity with a spike of heat.
• ANOTHER TAKE Toasted Goat Cheese Crisp and golden on the outside, warm and creamy on the inside.

• THE RECIPE Roasted Eggplant Salad with Tomato-Caper Salsa Gorgeous make-ahead salad.
• ANOTHER TAKE Roasted Eggplant with Pomegranate & Buttermilk-Yogurt Sauce An unexpected explosion of flavors, a garlicky yogurt sauce, sour pomegranate, spices and fresh herbs.

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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