(500) Days of Chèvre

The smooth creaminess of a fresh package. That earthy undertone. The light acidity. Served with fruit on a cracker or melted and permeating an entire dish, I always love it. My name is Mike and I am obsessed with goat cheese.

[500daysofchevre]

Back in business!

Wanted to let whoever reads this know I'm not dead. I finally picked up another 22 oz of goat cheese and will get some updates soon. Goat cheese polenta and savory cheesecake are a couple of the ideas that I will be putting to paper in the next few days. Hope you're looking forward to it, I know I am!

[500daysofchevre]

A Chèvre Tradition

Every month my good friend, Travis, and I go to dinner someplace in Boston (ish).  Anywhere I can find that offers a celiac friendly prix fixe.  Last month I chose Bergamot in Somerville.  It was the tail-end of Restaurant Week and a Friday night, so the place was jumping.

When we arrived, sans reservation, we were told there would be about a 20 minute wait.  Entirely reasonable.  It would have been longer, but we were okay sitting at the bar.  While we waited an extremely friendly maître d took our drink orders.  Travis picked the most interesting, mezcal-laden cocktail he could find.  I asked for the host's favorite drink.  About 2 minutes after our drinks were ordered, we were seated at the corner of the bar where I was surprised with a Martinez, which I recognized at first sip (it being one of my favorite cocktails).  Great start to the evening so far.

Our bread was spectacular.  Very crusty, served with cilantro lime butter.  I'm allergic to cilantro and notoriously loathe the taste of it, but the lime and salt balanced it so nicely and the crusty bread held the flavors so well I just couldn't not eat all of it.

After agonizing over the options and lamenting the lack of the previous weeks stuffed soft-shell crab, I decided on a spread and was ready to order - when Travis pointed out a Goat Cheese Polenta dish which I just had to try.  I had already decided on a roasted beet salad with chèvre to start and they had a divine looking chèvre cheesecake.  Thus, I decided to go with an entirely goat cheese driven meal, all for the sake of the reader (I do not have a problem, mind your own business).

Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese, Toasted Hazelnuts, Trevisano, Fennel Pollen, Blueberry Gastrique

The blueberry gastrique was really what brought this dish together.  It acted as a sort of gastronomical glue; tying together the creamy earthiness of the chèvre, the sweet crunch of the hazelnuts (toasted to perfection), and the bitter sprig of trevisano hidden amongst three deeply plum-colored beet quarters (a little too bitter for my taste, but that's what I get for saving it for last).  A little arugula gave the whole thing a pedestal to stand on.  The fennel offered a subtle facet to the goat cheese that is hard to pinpoint as anything other than delectable.

After the appetizer we were given complimentary samples of some appetizer.  I forgot to get a picture and can not remember any of the details, but it was spectacular.  Of that I'm positive.

Grilled Pork Loin with Chanterelle Mushrooms, Roasted Plums, Goat Cheese Polenta, Pork Jus

I was initially concerned about this dish because of how potentially heavy the pork jus could have been.  Luckily, it was refreshingly light and not overly seasoned, offering a hint of saltiness exactly where and when it was needed.  The polenta was creamy and also perfectly seasoned.  It didn't taste like a big mass of chèvre, every bite burst with wonderful balance.  The pork was cooked extremely well and seasoned beautifully.  Usually I would try to break down all the spices I could taste, but this whole dish was so well balanced I have a hard time recalling anything in particular.  Next time I'll bring a notebook to record my thoughts.  The roasted plums added enough sweetness to really make the polenta pop and the mushrooms were some of the most flavorful I've ever had.  The scallion garnish meshed particularly well to create a real tension in the flavors that left my mouth watering.

After this we had another free sample, this time of cherry vanilla sorbet and some assorted fruit.  I also didn't get a picture of this, but I assure you it was almost as breathtaking as this next dessert.

Chèvre Cheesecake with Toasted Pecans, Watermelon, Peach, Tomato Sorbet

I L-O-V-E love dessert deconstructions.  I'm also not huge on extremely sweet dishes.  This dessert tickled every culinary bone I have.

The goat cheese was whipped and sweetened to its most delicious extreme, still retaining the signature earthiness.  The pecans created one of the best tasting cheesecake crusts I've ever had.  Perfectly sweetened, just a hint of cinnamon.  The fresh, summer fruit created a dessert that never once treaded on too-decadent ground.  The real standout part of this dessert, for me, was the tomato sorbet.  If they sold this by the pint, I'd buy some every week.  It was light, yet creamy.  Sweet, but refreshing.  Instead of encroaching on the watermelon's turf it created a wonderful compliment.  While I could have eaten the sorbet for days, I think the amount on the plate was actually perfect.  Every single bite I took had everything I've ever wanted in a dessert.

Bergamot is not exactly cheap eats, but I encourage everyone to try at least once if you're in the Boston area.  The service was always attentive, the atmosphere was inviting (if slightly crowded), and the food was out of sight.  They offer their prix fixe menu every day for $42.  That gets you an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert.  Go for the food, return for the service (and more of the food).  I know I will.

[500daysofchevre]

Life of Pie

I love savory spices.  Specifically, I love fresh-grown savory spices in my desserts.  Armed with the leftover basil from my grandmother's garden, I set out to try out a recipe I found at Local Milk Blog for Blueberry, Basil, Goat Cheese hand pies.  I will reprint the directions as I found them with a little commentary from myself.

I lacked a lot of the necessary components, so I'll let you know what I did instead.

INGREDIENTS

For Crust

2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour, divided + extra for dusting 1 tsp kosher salt 1 cup (2 sticks / 225 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into small dice 1/4 cup (60 ml) ice cold water

For Filling 1 pint (about 2 cups) blueberries 1/4 cup goat cheese 1/4 cup buttermilk 3 Tbsp honey (or to taste) 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil small pinch of salt about 2 Tbsp flour to thicken

For Assembly 1 egg 1 Tbsp whole milk raw sugar, for sprinkling

An important note, pie crust is not difficult to make.  With the proper equipment (read: An electric mixer/food processor), it can take as little as 10 minutes from flour to fridge.  The most important factor when making any pastry crust is keeping everything cold.  It's the melting of the solid butter that creates a flaky, irresistible crust.  If a step takes too long, your kitchen is too hot, or you have something come up in the middle of prep make sure you are keeping your dough as cold as possible.  Any idle time should be spent in the fridge/freezer, not on the counter.

Another trick to flaky crust is folding the dough, rolling it, folding it, then rolling it again.  Similar to how a croissant is made.

I don't own an electric mixer, so I mixed everything by hand with a fork for this recipe.  After a short amount of mixing, I put the dough in the fridge/freezer to give my hands a moment to rest and to keep everything from getting too warm.

-Make the Dough: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix 1 cup of the flour with all of the salt. Then, with the machine on low speed, add the bits of butter, a handful at a time, until the butter is completely incorporated. Add the remaining flour until just blended, then the cold water until thoroughly incorporated. Dump dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a flat, round disc. Wrap it with the plastic and chill it for at least one hour, preferably overnight, and up to two days.

Again, I don't own a mixer, so I just took a fork to the process.  The steps are the same.  I also don't own a rolling pin, so I used a large bottle that I washed thoroughly.

Heat oven to 400° F.

-Make the Filling:  Mix blueberries with all of the ingredients except the flour. Sprinkle flour gradually over top and mix well until desired consistency is reached and mixture is smooth. Cover and chill while you roll out the pastry.

I also do not own buttermilk.  To substitute for it I added a little fresh lemon juice to 1/4 cup milk and let sit at room temperature while I prepared the dough.  White vinegar will also work.

-Prepare the Crust: Generously flour your work surface. Place one chilled, unwrapped dough on the flour and flour the top of the dough. Keep the other disk refrigerated while you work. Gently roll your dough out from the center until about 1/8 inch thick. Re-flour your surface as needed, continually lifting and rotating your dough to make sure no parts are sticking. If the dough becomes difficult to work with at any point, chill for a few minutes in the freezer on a baking sheet before continuing.

Don't make your dough too thick, else the final product will be too dry by virtue of the overwhelming amount of crust.  These will already have more crust than your average piece of pie, so be aware of that when rolling it out.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut an even number of circles in desired size.  Lay circles on parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly beat egg with milk for wash in a small bowl.

Parchment paper is important here.  You can use a well greased pan or some tin foil, but parchment paper serves to ensure even browning on the bottom.  Tin foil and bare pans transfer heat better than parchment paper and you can accidentally end up with scorched bottoms.

Be careful not to over flour your dough.  I used the mouth of a large glass for my first batch and the mouth of a deep bowl for my second batch.  I'd say you definitely want them about 5 inches in diameter.  My first batch was definitely too small.  You can also use squares instead of rounds.

Top half the circles with a small amount of filling, brush edged with egg wash, top with another round, and seal edges by crimping with a fork. Brush top with wash, sprinkle with raw sugar, and cut to vent. When completed place in the refrigerator to chill and repeat with other disc of dough and remaining filling.

https://flic.kr/p/ctC4aE

When second sheet of pies are formed, put in fridge and remove the first sheet. Bake for the first batch for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top and bottom. Repeat with second batch, allowing all pies to cool on a rack.

I found the larger hand pies worked out much better than the smaller ones.  Many of the recipes and pictures I've found have 3" or so pies.  I found when faced with this small an area, most of the filling leaks out leaving blueberry flavored pie crust as opposed to gooey, jam-y decadence.

Be generous with your sprinkling of raw sugar as there is no sugar in the dough and it creates a beautiful caramelized top.

PS: Unfortunately, I lost all my photos for everything I had done in the last few weeks for this blog.  As such I'm reposting some pictures used over at localmilkblog.com (and some google images).  They have great content, so go check them out!

PPS: Upcoming entries will, hopefully, be more frequent.  There will be a delay in getting everything going, but after this major data loss I have to reevaluate exactly how I handle these entries.

[500daysofchevre]

A New Twist on an Old Classic

If I could eat one thing and only one thing for all eternity, it would by my Nana's baked ziti.  Her sauce would be simmering from 8pm until 5pm the next night.  Of course, not without my sisters and I sneaking a healthy portion on bread whenever we wanted a snack (read: always).  The baked ziti was the end goal, but the sauce was the best part.

A bit of nostalgia and my goat cheese obsession spawned this monster.  First of all, you probably should not use as much cheese as I did.  It was obscenely rich and could not hold itself together whatsoever.  That said, I regret nothing and will share exactly what I did and how I did it.

This could very well be made with your own sauce or your favorite store bought brand, but I always prefer to make my own.  The recipe is very simple and only takes as much time as you have to give it.

Ingredients:

1 Medium-Large Onion

1 28oz can Tomatoes, Pureed

2 cloves Garlic

Fresh Basil, large stems removed or chopped

Salt

Pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Crushed Red Pepper (optional)

Sugar (optional)

Dice onion and garlic.  Saute onion and garlic over medium low heat with olive oil and a pinch of salt until onions are translucent.  Take care not to burn the garlic or brown the onions.  Add can of tomatoes, pureed with food processor/blender and half a can of water.  Stir in salt, pepper, red pepper, and fresh basil.  Lower heat and cover, stirring occasionally.  Try to avoid letting it boil to prevent it from burning.  Let simmer for as long as you like.  Season to taste.

The longer you allow it to cook down, the more sweetness is brought out of the tomatoes.  It also cooks out all the acidity.  On average, I let mine simmer a few hours.  If you don't have that much time to wait for a sauce, a touch of sugar has a similar effect.  Be careful not to overdo it, though.

If it gets too thick or cooks down too far, add a little bit of water.  If you add too much water, just let it cook down for a while longer.  If oil starts to separate out you can either spoon it off the top or stir it right back in.

This will make about enough for a tray of baked ziti with a little left over for serving.  Feel free to season however you please.  I'm partial to a lot of basil and crushed red pepper.  It should also do well in the slow cooker.

Boil up a pound of your favorite penne/ziti/whatever.

Preheat oven to 375F.

This is the defining part: the cheese.

Ingredients:

3oz Goat Cheese

1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

2 pounds (32oz) Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

1 Large Egg

Salt

Pepper

Seasonings

Yes, I know that's a lot of ricotta.  I didn't read the package.  When I make this again, I'll try using about 24oz instead.  Traditionally, this would use mozzarella instead of chèvre.  Nana also used regular Parmesan.  I decided to try some new things.  This resulted in a much more flavorful cheese.  A touch of garlic powder really tied everything together for me.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.  Strain your pasta a minute or two before it gets al dente.  It will cook more in the oven.  Rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process.  Mix the pasta and the cheese mixture.  Layer sauce, pasta, sauce, pasta, sauce over some tin foil or a greased pan.  Top with shredded or grated cheese.  I used a little more chèvre and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Bake for about an hour or until the cheese melts and the top layer begins to brown.  Serve with a little extra sauce on top.

PS: The lighting in my kitchen is the worst thing and I need to see about getting an actual camera and some serving trays.

[500daysofchevre]

Chèvre Me Timbers

Today I'd like to talk not about specific recipes or food porn, but overall usage scenarios for goat cheese.

A surprising number of people haven't even tried goat cheese or have and weren't aware of it at the time, leaving a faded memory of a creamy appetizer lingering like so many Polaroids.

Yet more people are put off by many varieties of soft cheeses, particularly those made with "unknown" ingredients.

Goat cheese, to me, is like strictly better cream cheese.  It has a similar consistency, is equivocally mild, but is lighter with a slight earthiness to it.  It has the taste and texture of something actually made from milk instead of the processed, putty-like texture of cream cheese.

It's taste profile is very subtle, allowing it to work in a variety of culinary inventions.  Earthiness, for some, invokes sense memory of dirt.  In reality, it's more of a slight twang of greens.  Like the scent of fresh cut grass on a hot summer day.  In place of the abject lack of flavor exhibited by cream cheese, there is a slight musk undertoned by a mild acidity.

As goat cheese sits in your fridge, it continues its aging process.  The muskiness gently begins to fade and gives way to a more pronounced acidity.  It dries out ever so slightly, crumbling instead of smearing.  No separation of liquids here.

It's creamy, earthiness also makes it the perfect salad companion.  Instead of feta or bleu cheese, try goat cheese crumbles.  The creaminess works great in the context of a roughage rich dish and the complex profile pairs nicely with bright fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and beets.

Fruits are one of my favorite ways to enjoy my chèvre.  Goat cheese's mildness and the darker undertones create an excellent juxtaposition with bursting sugars.

My earliest memory of chèvre is actually of a blueberry covered goat cheese had with some crackers at a Christmas party nearly 10 years ago.  It wasn't until a couple years ago that I realized what it was.  It was the perfect balance of sweet and savory.  The tangy creaminess of the goat cheese played host to the now jam-like sweetness of the blueberry compote.  I demonstrated this glorious pairing with my crostini and will be trying this recipe in the very near future.

As is the case with cream cheese and ricotta, chèvre can be used in a variety of desserts.  Sugar takes away from the muskiness, but the complexity of flavor remains.  Cheesecake transcends overtly sweetened decadence arriving at a deeper, more savory dish.  Pair with tangier fruits or a salted crust to really kick it into high gear.

I hope some of these ideas can help you get out and try different varieties of chèvre-based dishes.  It's not so scary of a cheese and can add a bold facet to many traditional meals.

[500daysofchevre]

Not Yo Mama's Grilled Cheese

This post was inspired by a friend.

"Try a blueberry, honey and goat cheese grilled cheese. You're welcome."

What a great idea.  There are a few problems I have with it taken at face value.  Firstly, the bread.  With that much going on it is certain to get soggy.  Secondly, that's a lot of decadence to pack into one sandwich.  The ratios would have to be excruciatingly thought-out for it to not become a huge mess that leaves me feeling bad.  Thirdly, sweets aren't really my favorite thing, I prefer my desserts to have some bite or tanginess to them.

Thusly, I give you Blueberry Chèvre Crostini!

Continuing with dishes that take little effort and can be made quickly, this takes about 10 minutes.  I swear I'll get some real meals with full-on recipes on here eventually, but this is how I've been cooking lately.

Everything starts with a blueberry compote.  I used about a half pint of blueberries.  Throw that in a sauce pan with just a touch of sugar (I used a little white and a little raw), a tablespoon of honey, 1 lemon's worth of zest, and half a lemon's worth of juice.  Heat that over medium-low until everything dissolves and the blueberries have just begun to burst.

As for the bread, I used a baguette that I sliced thinly.  I threw the slices in a frying pan with a touch of butter just long enough to get both sides nice and crunchy.  You can also bake the slices of bread if you need to do a larger batch.  I mostly didn't want to heat up the oven.

Spread a little chèvre on the bread and serve your compote right on top.  Be careful not to douse your crostini in the compote liquid else you have a soggy slab of bread instead of that delightful crunch.

This turned out great, but was still a little too sweet for me.  Next time I'm going to try something different.  If you are looking for various ways to spice this up a bit, add a touch of your favorite Balsamic to the compote and garnish with a little mint, basil, or lemon zest.  I'm going to try it with a little dark rum in the compote next time.

PS:  I have now finished one quarter of the goat cheese I bought for the sake of this blog four days ago.  I bought four packages, totaling 42 ounces.

[500daysofchevre]

Let's talk breakfast

The most important meal of the day.  An ideal breakfast gives you plenty of nutrition, is packed with enough protein to keep you full until lunch, and gets your mind and body the energy it needs.  I make the same breakfast almost every day.  It's loaded with complex carbs, protein, an anti-oxidant rich vegetable (spinach, usually), and a helping of fat.

I usually start with a complex carb as the base.  Usually it's a slice of whole wheat bread, but lately it's been a scoop of brown rice.  I'll either fry the bread in a little bit of butter or throw the rice in the rice cooker.

I top that with whatever vegetable I have on hand.  This week is broccoli.  You can steam the broccoli with your rice if you have a steamer basket.  I prefer to sautee my broccoli with a little butter or olive oil and red pepper.  Spinach I prefer to serve raw.

On top, add your desired amount of goat cheese.  I throw some crumbles right on top of the steaming hot vegetables.  I try not to overdo this step, but occasionally it gets a little out of control.

Finally, I fry an egg (also in butter).  I try to go for a crispy, lightly-browning white and a gooey yolk.  Serve that on top of everything, give it a minute for the cheese to melt, and there you have it: A balanced breakfast that takes less than 10 minutes of actual effort.

Goat cheese's creamy earthiness complements leafy greens extremely well, the starchy base jumpstarts your metabolism while giving your flavors a platform, and the egg gets you ready to start your day.  I never drink anything but water with my first meal of the day.

Sometimes I'll add a little bit of hot sauce which really ties the entire dish together, but don't go overboard; the vinegar cuts right through the chèvre.  Occasionally I'll fry the vegetables and egg in bacon fat (or add a slice of bacon to the whole affair).  The bacon fat offers a new, subtle dimension to the flavor.

[500daysofchevre]

The Best Budget Option

In this blog I hope to share my passion for food, specifically food pertaining to goat cheese.  As such, I will be purchasing even more of it than usual for the sake of the blog.

Cheese, as many of you know, can get quite expensive.  Goat cheese, in particular, I find to be overpriced at most grocery stores.  You usually pay $5 for anywhere between 4 oz and 8 oz.  Trader Joe's carries "Silver Goat Cheese," $5 for 11 oz or so.  A solid deal.

Costco has changed my world for the better and inspired this first post.

Kirkland Signature makes some really spectacular products.  Costco's brand of goat cheese is such a spectacular deal, I don't think I can ever go back.  Each of those logs are 10.5 oz.  It comes with two of them, totaling 21 ounces, for $7.  If a better deal exists, I've yet to find it.

One of the nice things about goat cheese is it ages while it is in your refrigerator.  Unlike cream cheese; which gets watery, or block cheeses; which get rock-hard, chèvre dries out and becomes crumbly.  With that comes a slight taste difference to accompany the changing texture.  It is a dynamic cheese.  As such, I'm not afraid to stock up on it.

I will hopefully be able to give run downs of various types and flavors and brands of goat cheese.  Hopefully some musings and advice about making it at home.  Until then, Kirkland's Signature is my daily driver.