Monday, December 29, 2014

A Quick and Easy Appetizer Recipe for New Year's

I hope everyone has enjoyed Christmas, Hanakaah, Kwanzaa, or whatever else you have been celebrating. More festivities are coming up; in just a few days we will bid farewell to 2014 and welcome in a new year.


A quick and delicious appetizer recipe for New Year's Eve or New Year's Day

If you are planning a party, I have an easy and delicious suggestion.  I have been making Honey-peppered Goat Cheese with Fig Balsamic Drizzle for several years.  I believe the recipe was originally published in Christmas with Southern Living - 2007.  I found it on myrecipes.com

I have tweaked this recipe in multiple ways, and often even alter my own alterations, making it with whatever ingredients I have on hand!  It is a very forgiving recipe, so feel free to use it just as a guide.

The original recipe says to cut the goat cheese into rounds.  I find it much easier to just crumble it and serve it as a spread, and I think it looks just as pretty.  Here is a photo and the recipe for my version of this dish:


I served this on Christmas Eve.  See my post about my dishwasher for more photos!

Goat Cheese Appetizer with Honey, Pepper and Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients
         1 (11-oz.)  fresh goat cheese log
         1/3 cup olive oil
         1/4 cup honey
         1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
         1 teaspoon fresh thyme or oregano leaves (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (I have used plain, fig, and cranberry-pear flavored varieties)
         Garnish: 
fresh thyme or oregano
1 -2 tsp. orange zest
1/4 cup dried cranberries
 1/4 cup toasted pecans, pine nuts or pepitas (roasted sunflower seeds)

         Crackers or crusty bread

Preparation
1. Crumble goat cheese onto a serving plate. 
2. Combine oil, honey and pepper; drizzle over cheese. 
3. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. thyme leaves. Cover and chill up to 2 days.
4. Remove cheese from refrigerator 1 hour before serving. 
5. Just before serving, drizzle a little vinegar over cheese. Garnish with orange rind and nuts or seeds, if desired. 
6. Serve with crackers or bread.

Note: I find this keeps quite well for a day or two, even after the vinegar has been added, especially if a white balsamic vinegar is used.

I know that a lot of people don't like goat cheese, but adding honey and olive oil changes the consistency and gives it such a delicious sweetness that nearly everyone enjoys this dish!

Do you have a favorite appetizer recipe?

This post may be linked to one of the great link-up parties I follow and list on my blog. Check them out!

7 comments :

  1. I love how this looks with the dried cranberries. Very nice, and I bet it tastes just as good as it looks!

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  2. This is so pretty, and sounds delicious! I'm not a fan of goat cheese, but maybe I will give it a try on New Years Eve!

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    1. If you do Lana, let me know what you think! By the way, Costco sells goat cheese at a very reasonable price :)

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  3. Oh wow, this looks so delicious! I'm a total sucker for goat cheese - the cranberries and nuts go just perfectly! I can't wait to try this. I'd love it if you'd share this at Reviews, Chews & How-Tos this week for our first Awesome Life Friday Link Up http://rchreviews.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for the invitation Lynda! I will stop by!!

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  4. This would be good any time of year EC - even in your current summer season!

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