Colorado Goat Cheese Plate (Click To Zoom)
I’ve come up with 10 ways to use Colorado goat cheese in your spring pantry:
1. Scrambled Eggs
My most favorite way to enjoy chèvre is crumbled into soft scrambled eggs just before they finish cooking. Spring herbs such as dill or chives are a welcome addition. The creamy, tangy goat cheese is really nice with farm fresh eggs. A goat cheese omelette would be lovely as well.
2. Salad
Chèvre in salad is nothing new, but I have to tell you something magical happens when you combine goat cheese, golden beets, and toasted hazelnuts. The flavors harmonize perfectly: tangy cheese, earthy sweet beets, and the nuts are just plain nutty. So good with a mixture of green and purple spring lettuces. Dijon vinaigrette is the way to go here.
3. Tartine
I must admit that until today, I did not know a “tartine” is French for an open faced sandwich. I came across a recipe for “Strawberry Tartine” in Dorie Greenspan’s latest book, Around My french Table. Dorie spreads goat cheese on a baguette, places strawberries on top with fresh ground pepper and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. This might be my new favorite thing!
4. Sauce
In French Food at Home, Laura Calder thins goat cheese with cream to serve as a sauce over a spring vegetable ragoût. Fava beans, asparagus, and peas are blanched and sauced with the goat cheese. Laura Calder garnishes the dish with chervil and bacon.
5. Polenta
Polenta is a staple of northern Italy. Basically it’s a cornmeal porridge most often served as a savory side dish. Instead of making rice or risotto to go with your supper, next time try polenta. At the end of cooking you can toss in some chèvre. I’m a big fan of caramelized beef or lamb flavors with goat cheese polenta. Throw a red wine sauce and fresh thyme into the mix and I’m in heaven.
6. Tart
In the new book, Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen you’ll find a recipe for “Caramelized Red Onion Tarts”. The tarts have a layer of goat cheese topped with caramelized balsamic onions. Goat cheese has a tangy acidity that is balanced by the sweetness of the balsamic onions. Ina Garten shares a recipe for “Goat Cheese Tart” flavored with fresh basil in Barefoot in Paris. You could use any spring herbs to flavor this tart. I think it would make a lovely brunch dish.
7. Mel i Mató
As I’ve said before, sometimes the simplest way is the best. In A Platter of Figs David Tanis suggests serving fresh chèvre like they do in Catalonia- with honey. I would encourage you to taste through every honey available at your local farmer’s market. After months of this kind of “research” I settled on my favorite. The complexity and depth of flavor I found in this local honey surprised and delighted me.
8. Dip
Goat cheese based spreads and dips are perfect for spring. You can buy one or make your own. Avalanche Cheese Company in Colorado makes two flavorful varieties: Garlic & Basil or Truffle Honey & Lemon chèvre spread. You can make your own with fresh herbs or fava beans. Serve with crusty bread and crudités. Spicy radishes and goat cheese are great friends!
9. Cheese Plate
Do a cheese plate composed of only goat cheese. There are plenty of varieties to choose from. Try a mix of textures from soft to firm and flavors ranging from lemon and grass to pungent and earthy. I’m a fan of Avalanche Cheese Company chèvre and their Lamborn Bloomers, an elegant, earthy, soft-ripened cheese. Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy makes an award winning aged goat cheese called Queso de Mano with an herbal and nutty character. Their Red Cloud goat cheese is powerfully pungent and semi firm with a washed rind. A cheese plate featuring only goat cheese from Colorado is a great way to expand your palate.
10. Ice Cream
I knew I could count on David Lebovitz for goat cheese ice cream. Find it in The Perfect Scoop, my go to gift for any new bride, because every marriage should start with ice cream. David writes, “adding goat cheese to ice cream gives it the surprising taste of a blue-ribbon cheesecake”.