Tad Seaborn/The Globe and Mail
It's a recipe with no rules this week – perfect for the holiday rush. Marinated goat cheese makes a creamy, flavourful appetizer – you can spread it on a warm baguette or oven-crisped day-old slices. It pairs well with charcuterie and crackers or adds richness to a salad of mixed greens drizzled with aged balsamic. It also makes a very pretty and practical host gift when heading out to holiday events. The "no rules" part simply means you don't have to measure anything exactly. Use your favourite herbs, add some citrus peel, garlic cloves or sundried tomatoes. You can even marinate in a flavoured or nut oil.
Servings: Recipe fills a 250 ml jar.
Ingredients
plain goat cheese logs
extra virgin olive oil
fresh herbs
pink peppercorns
clove of garlic
Method
Buy 2 small, 140-gram plain goat cheese logs and slice into medallions (slice when cold). (An alternative is to portion and roll into small balls.) Pour a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil into a 250 ml glass jar (wide-mouthed jars are best) and then stack the goat cheese medallions inside.
Every few pieces, drizzle oil and add fresh herbs (I used oregano but any will do), pink peppercorns (they look festive) and a clove of garlic (sliced into a few pieces). Once cheese is filling the jar, top with olive oil to just cover.
Seal tightly and marinate in the fridge – ideally for one to two weeks, but at least three days. Olive oil will thicken when cooled, but allow the jar to come back to room temperature before serving.
Sue Riedl