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I absolutely love a nice fresh, soft goat cheese. The creaminess, tartness, slight saltiness, and depth of flavours in a good goats cheese make it one of the most enjoyable cheeses to eat.

A while ago while preparing for a catering event I had the idea of mixing goat cheese with a bit of dried lavender I had purchased while in Maui. The result, when paired with a bit of honey, was magical. The lavender brought a beautiful floral quality to the cheese and the honey really just set everything off.

This recipe is a great one to use for an appetizer or just for a snack with friends. Enjoy!

Lavender Goat Cheese Tart with Cranberry Port Compote
serves 4

16 six-inch circles of phyllo pastry
clarified butter
600 g soft goat cheese
1 tablespoon dried lavender ground into a powder

1 cup fresh cranberries
100 ml port wine
1/2 cup sugar

honey

In sets of four, layer the phyllo pastry circles with a brushed coating of clarified butter in between each layer. Line 4 greased four-inch round skillets or baking dishes with the pastry like you would for a pie crust. Mix the goat cheese with the lavender and divide between the four pastry lined skillets. Bake in a 360°F oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown slightly on the top and the pastry is golden.

For the compote, simply add all the ingredients to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until it is a thick, jam-like consistency. Let it cool and spoon on top of the finished tarts. Drizzle with a bit of good quality honey and serve.

Hey there food lovers!

So the last post was an Ingredient Focus on Guanciale, a type of bacon taken from the cheek of a pig. I promised a recipe to use it in, so here it is. I decided that a great way to showcase the texture and flavour of Guanciale would be in a nice risotto. Check it out.

Roasted Garlic Risotto with Guanciale and Soft Egg
serves 4

1 cup arborio rice
1 litre chicken stock approx. (can be substituted for any other type of stock)
50g shallots, fine dice
1 head of garlic
100ml white wine
100g Guanciale, skin removed and cut into matchsticks
50g unsalted butter
50g parmesan cheese or aged gouda (In the picture I used a 3 year aged Gouda. Money.)

Roast your garlic head (wrap in foil with some oil and salt and cook for about 30 minutes in a 350°F oven) and remove the garlic from it’s skin. Smash it into a paste. Fry Guanciale in a pan until crisp. In a large sauté pan, sweat the shallots gently for a few minutes in the fat rendered from the Guanciale. Add the rice to the pan and toast it for a few minutes over medium heat. Add your roasted garlic paste and fried Guanciale to the rice. Pour the white wine into the pan and stir until it is absorbed. Add your hot stock a ladle at a time and stir constantly to work the starches out of the rice. You’ll know it’s time to add more stock once about 80% of the liquid in the pan has been absorbed. Patience is the key to a beautiful risotto. Cook the rice until it is cooked but still has a slight bite to it. Once the rice is done, mix in the butter and grated cheese to add a richness to the dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To poach the egg, bring a pot of water with a couple tablespoons of white vinegar to a simmer. Create a whirlpool in the pot with a whisk and drop your egg into the middle from as low a height as possible. Cook for 3 minutes and refresh it in an ice bath to stop the cooking immediately if you aren’t going to eat it right away, otherwise just serve it straight out of the pot.

I hope you enjoy the recipe! Leave a comment and let me know how it works out!

Josiah

Tag Archives: wine

Recipe: Lavender Goat Cheese Tart with Cranberry Port Compote

Recipe: Roasted Garlic Risotto with Guanciale and Soft Egg