Here’s a little sunshine in a jar for you! Marinated Goat Cheese. The tangy goat cheese is mellowed by the rich olive oil and perked up with citrus & herbs.
marinated goat cheese
This Marinated Goat Cheese takes minutes to make and is really kind of a “non-recipe” because you can put just about anything you’d like in these lovely little layered jars of goat cheese. Limited by your own good taste of course! (Wouldn’t they make a fun little hostess gift with some good crackers to spread it on? Maybe in a cute little basket?)
About Marinated Goat Cheese:
I do find it helpful to have a kind of plan of some sort that makes sense. You might pick flavors from cuisines you might like, for instance. And of course, whatever you choose should complement the goat cheese. While the process mellows some of the sharp tang, the goat cheese still should be the star of the show.
I pulled from my head some of the loosely Mediterranean flavors of citrus and herbs, keeping in mind the richness of the olive oil. Lemon for a little acidic flavor to balance some of the richness. Thyme & rosemary for earthy flavor (although I might replace the rosemary with marjoram or oregano next.) And for interest, I tossed in cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes.
But what about any other special peppercorns you might like, other herbs, maybe other citrus? I mean go wild with anything you like! Sun Dried Tomatoes or maybe my Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, Honey & Lavender. Maybe you’d like to think about flavoring these little jars with Spanish, French, Mexican, or African flavors instead of this more Mediterranean mix.
Marinated Goat Cheese – note the string for cutting
Making Marinated Goat Cheese:
As you can see, there’s not much to tossing this little appetizer together, but I have a few thoughts on the ingredients. It is very important to work clean as much as possible (see storing.)
The goat cheese:
Goat cheese doesn’t have to be pricy to be good. There are ways to save money, below, but it’s important that you know the goat cheese you’re using in this marinated goat cheese. It’s the star ingredient, after all.
- If you have doubts about the flavor of the goat cheese you’ve purchased, use it in another recipe where it’s mixed in with other ingredients (and the flavor doesn’t matter so much) and pick another goat cheese for this recipe.
- I have had some goat cheeses that have had a chalky taste, and even with my love of goat cheese, I disliked them – but it was fine mixed with herbs and stuffed into chicken breasts, where it might not have been the best for this recipe.
I think about my sister sometimes. She despises goat cheese and I’m sure it was just the particular goat cheese she first tried that turned her off. I can’t convince her of that or convince her to try another goat cheese! They are not all the same.
Here’s a caution about the olive oil, too:
- Make sure to use an olive that you enjoy the taste of.
- You might think that goes without saying, but sometimes people will pick up a bottle without giving the actual taste much thought, especially if used in small quantities when cooking or making salad dressings, where the flavor is disguised.
Cutting the goat cheese:
- Some advice about cutting the goat cheese into rounds. To cut nice rounds of goat cheese, pull out your dental floss or a little string.
- Simply slide it under the log, pull each end up to the top, and tighten…just like you cut a log of cookies.
How to Use:
- Spread this goat cheese on crackers, toast, and crostini.
- Drizzle it with honey or finish it with pinch of sea salt or a grind of pepper.
- Add several slices of goat cheese to a small casserole, drizzle it with the flavored olive oil (something like a dipping olive oil) & bake it at 325 F. for 15 or 20 minutes for an effortless warm appetizer.
Storing:
Any items stored in oil have a possibility to contain botulism spores which can increase with time, even when refrigerated, and can thrive in an airless environment like olive oil.
While some will automatically advise to toss products like these after five days to minimize serious risk, it is up to you to decide if you are comfortable making and consuming Marinated Goat Cheese.
Saving Money on Marinated Goat Cheese:
Below are a few hints on some of the ingredients I’ve used; the goat cheese in particular can be a bit pricy and the same goes for the olive oil when used in any quantity.
If the olive oil left at the end is not too cloudy from the goat cheese, reuse it for cooking.
goat cheese:
if you have goat cheese that you’re afraid you won’t get to in time, this recipe to marinate it will extend the shelf life by a little bit.
- Goat cheese can be crazy expensive. At the grocery, watch for hang tags (pads of coupons near the cheese and hang on to them. Wait for a great special and use the coupons, or check the producer’s website for coupons. Specials are often buy one get one free or buy one get one half off, so with the coupons can be a sweet deal.
- The goat cheese at Costco is decent and the price is fabulous; the packages are larger so you may have to go on a goat cheese spree. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried goat cheese from other buyer’s clubs. Aldi and Lidl have excellent prices.
olive oil:
It’s a sad fact but for many, buying olive oil or not comes down to not much else than budget. Regardless, pay attention to the quality. Looking for extra virgin or virgin in a dark bottle will eliminate a lot of lower quality olive oils from the line-up. Use your olive oil, don’t try to eke it out for special occasions; it begins to deteriorate quickly (in a matter of months) once opened.
- Grocery Store: Sales are often buy one get one half off, and often there are coupons on the bottles (or maker’s website) making those sales a better deal. In this case smaller bottlers are usually the better value. Grocery stores: may have good sales on new offerings.
- Buyers clubs and your discount stores will have great pricing and a range of quality.
Marinated Goat Cheese
Marinated Goat Cheese
- Total Time: 10 minutes plus chill time
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns, any kind, crushed
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- About 3 to 5 ounces goat cheese (in a log)
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- several slices lemon peel
- Extra virgin olive oil as needed
Instructions
Use a very clean, preferably sterilized jar, and very clean hands.
Pour in a small amount of olive oil into the jar, maybe 1/4 inch or so.
Cut the goat cheese into 1/2″ thick rounds (try cutting with string or dental floss) and place one round into the jar. Sprinkle with peppers. add another drizzle of olive oil, and continue until all rounds or gone or the jar is filled to nearly the top.
Add the sprigs of thyme & rosemary and the lemon peel to the jar. Fill to the top, covering the goat cheese with the olive oil. Leave at room temperature for an hour then refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, if you can wait that long. The longer this sits, the more flavor it will have.
Marinated Goat Cheese keeps for five days, refrigerated. The olive oil may be used in cooking if it’s not too cloudy from the goat cheese.
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I will be bringing this recipe to Fiesta Friday #165, hosted this week by Diann @ Of Goats and Greens and Monika @ Everyday Healthy Recipes
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