Goat Cheese and Fig Crostini Recipe

We were lucky enough to be able to pick a lot of figs in our garden this year. We had so many, I made several kinds of fig preserves. One of my favorite ways to use fig preserves is to pair it with goat cheese and it just so happened that I received delicious goat cheese from Cypress Grove Chevre today. I spread the two ingredients on crostini for a nice contrast of texture and flavor. I grilled day-old baguette and smeared a layer of goat cheese. The warmth from the bread let the goat cheese ooze and become creamier. The last layer was the fig preserves. I have to admit this easy appetizer is my favorite snack. I love them and could eat a ton!

I have a little story that might sound silly to you but Cypress Grove Chevre goat cheese is very dear to my heart. I remember when I first got married, my husband Lulu surprised me and took me on the 17-mile drive in Carmel, which I had never seen before. I remember he prepared the most romantic picnic on the beach and fed me wonderful Cypress Grove chevre. I had never heard of the company before that picnic but the cute packaging and beautiful scenery has since made it unforgettable to me. The cheese is rich and creamy and absolutely captures what I love about French chevre. It is one of the few American-made cheeses I’ve had that rival its French counterparts.

Cypress Grove Chevre will be a part of our December giveaways, so be sure to check back for your chance to win. Doesn't that sound awesome?

Grilled Nectarine and Goat Cheese Appetizer Recipe

I love grilling fruit. The natural sweetness creates a caramelized crust while slightly softening the texture of the fruit. Stone fruits in particular work very well. And since I just bought a bunch of white nectarines, I decided to have some fun with them and make sweet and savory appetizers.

I chose nectarines that were ripe but still a little firm, and threw them briefly on the grill. I wanted to make sure they didn't become watery and mushy. Fruity, sweet flavors pair incredibly well with goat cheese, so I nestled the grilled nectarine wedges on thin slices of chèvre and a slightly toasted brioche.

To finish the appetizers, I drizzled the nectarines with date syrup and added a sprinkle of finely chopped garlic chives and flat-leaf parsley. They're very easy to assemble and would make beautiful appetizers for your next summer party!

Easy Cheese Appetizer Recipe

We're still in Paris and I've been feeling a little lazy as our vacation winds down. Maybe it’s a subconscious awareness that we’re about to go back to the daily grind. Still, we need to eat, and these cheese appetizers literally take about 10 minutes to assemble. This gives me plenty of time to do, well, other things.

I stacked cheese and sesame crackers, Rocamadour (goat) cheese, store-bought cherry preserves and sun-dried tomatoes into these little bites. They are so delicious, my husband Lulu could eat them by the dozen while waiting for dinner to be served.

The sweetness from the preserves and creaminess from the cheese pair wonderfully. You could make small variations using other chutneys or relishes as well.

Olive Tapenade Chicken Rolls

Olive tapenade is extremely versatile and can be used as a spread or filling in many different dishes. You can also use it in place of more traditional party dips such as hummus, guacamole, salsa or roasted bell pepper spread. In this recipe, I added goat cheese to the tapenade and used the mixture as a filling for chicken rolls. I served the dish with a mildly sweet carrot purée that makes an excellent foil to the savory flavor of the tapenade.

If it's not part of your culinary repertoire yet, you should definitely learn to prepare tapenade. It will open up a whole new world of easy to prepare, delectable dishes.

Rosemary Roasted Beet Risotto with Ricotta Salata Cheese

I had half of a beet, puréed, leftover from the harissa paste I made yesterday. Since there are no infants in the house and all the adults have teeth, I had to find some other use for it. I finally decided to incorporate the beet purée in a risotto. The beets imparted a mild sweetness and beautiful pink color to the rice. I roasted some more red beets and added them as well for a texture contrast. I flavored the dish with rosemary from the garden and topped it with some ricotta salata.

Leftover ingredients can be a great way to test out new dishes. What I often do is combine the ingredient with a basic dish, such as risotto in this case, and couple it with complementary flavors that work well with the ingredient in other recipes. This way, chances are the new dish you've created will taste delicious. The real trick is knowing really well a few recipes that are easy to modify.