Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates

I know that we’re in the Thanksgiving home stretch!  But I just had to tell you about this elegant and impossibly easy appetizer that would make your guests swoon with delight this holiday season.  You may decide to squeeze it in on the already over-packed Thanksgiving menu for tomorrow or wait until Christmas or New Year’s or a relaxed Saturday afternoon with friends.  It’s up to you.  And if you do choose to whip it up for the big dinner tomorrow, rest assured those ravenous appetites will be kept in check before the bird is ready!   

As you can see, it only took me a few postings to come up with another great recipe that has goat cheese at its core.  I recently made these super-tasty Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates for a tapas themed party for the iconic El Clásico, the most watched soccer game in the world.  I also made them for a dinner party, a birthday celebration, and I’m making them again for Thanksgiving.  As you can imagine, everyone was smitten at first bite, gobbled them down in no time, and then demanded seconds! 

Simply put, these dates are a breeze to throw together and are wonderfully meaty and chewy, sweet and salty, creamy and fragrant all in one mouthful.  You can wrap them in prosciutto (or Serrano ham if you opt for a Spanish kick) and freely snack on them before the main courses make it to the table.  Pair the dates with a cold, crisp white wine and they will bewitch you.  And a little side note – you may want to bump up the quantities – the crowd will ask for more!

Last year, I was in charge of the entire Thanksgiving menu, and although it was only for three people, it was daunting and uplifting at the same time.  This year, I’m back to being a contributor to the mighty feast by bringing these amazing Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates, these irresistible Sweet and Spicy Roasted Nuts, and my favorite Cranberry-Orange Sauce that I’ve made religiously for the past few years.  So, here you have it…  Enjoy the recipe and I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving filled with delicious food and delightful company! 

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates with Prosciutto

Adapted slightly from Giada at Home by Giada de Laurentiis

Makes: 16 stuffed dates

Ingredients:

·         ¼ cup (2 ounces) goat cheese, at room temperature

·         ¼ cup (2 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

·         ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves (or dill)

·         Salt and freshly ground black pepper

·         16 Medjool dates

·         8 thin slices prosciutto, halved lengthwise

·         16 toothpicks or cocktail picks

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix together the cheeses and basil (or dill).  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a paring knife, make a lengthwise incision in each date.  Gently open the dates slightly and remove the pits.  (Make sure you don’t cut the dates in half when making the incision!) 

Spoon about ½ teaspoon of the cheese and basil mixture inside each one.  Close the dates around the filling.  Wrap a piece of prosciutto around each date and secure with a toothpick. 

Arrange the stuffed dates on a platter and serve. 

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

Goat Cheese Cake with Berries

It was only a short while ago that I went on an epic rant of how American cheesecake is not really my cup of tea.  How I can’t get over the obscene discrepancy between crust and custard, and all the nitty-gritty and scandalous number of hours required to make what is virtually just a cake.  Long story short, I still haven’t come to terms with this American classic.  But then I came across this delightfully decadent Goat Cheese Cake!

Yes, this week I’m bringing you even more goat cheese paired with outrageously bright berries.  Aside from desperately getting my hands on these lively little treasures before their season is out the window, I have to come clean and admit that I never really thought beyond the savory qualities of goat cheese.  I could never have imagined that goat cheese could represent the epitome of a sensational... cheesecake! 

Then again, this is neither your classic cheesecake nor a Romanian cheesecake!  There’s no crust involved, no appallingly excessive cream cheese filling, no ridiculous amount of time needed to whip it up.  In fact, this goat cheesecake comes together in less than an hour!  How fabulous is that?  

When you take a bite, it’s like eating a tangy, pleasantly rich yet airy, sweet and silky cheese mousse spotted with juicy, tart, fat berries.  And while in the oven, the cake forms a crusty and caramelly outside coating that pleasantly crackles between your teeth.  Heaven!   And, to make this cheesecake even more heavenly: add a spoonful of berry sauce right on top!  

                  

Goat Cheese Cake with Berries

Adapted from Bon Appétit (June 2013)

Makes:  8+ slices

Ingredients for the cheesecake:

·         Unsalted butter for the pan

·         ¾ cup sugar, plus more for the pan

·         12 oz. goat cheese, at room temperature

·         1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, from 1 lemon

·         1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice from half a lemon

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         6 large eggs, separated

·         3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

·         150 grams (1 heaped cup) berries (I used raspberries and blackberries)

Ingredients for the Fresh Berry Sauce (this is the same berry sauce I used for the Panna Cotta):

·         2 cups assorted fresh berries, plus a few fresh berries for decoration

·         1 ½ Tablespoon sugar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Butter a 9”-diameter springform pan and dust it with sugar, tapping out any excess. 

Using an electric hand mixer on medium speed, beat the goat cheese, ¾ cup sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a large bowl until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.  Add the egg yolks two at a time, beating to blend and scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions.  Reduce speed to low, add the flour, and mix just until blended.  Gently stir in the berries.  Set aside.  

Using clean, dry beaters, beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until soft peaks form.  In batches, fold the egg whites into the goat cheese and berry mixture just until blended. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap the pan to level the batter.  Bake the cheesecake until the top is set but still jiggles slightly in the center, about 35 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool in the pan.  The cake will pull away from the pan.  If it doesn’t, run a thin knife around the sides of the pan and gently unmold the cake.   

Instructions for the Fresh Berry Sauce:

Place the berries in a small saucepan and sprinkle with sugar.  Heat up the berries over medium-low heat until juicy and soft and mash some of them with a fork.  Continue to stir until the sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.  Let it cool.  Serve it with the goat cheesecake.   

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

I’m continuing the goat cheese theme, this week.  That’s because I just can’t get enough of the creaminess and deliciousness of my favorite cheese, and I also figured that I should probably embrace tomatoes, the season’s most valued ingredient.  Truth be told, I simply can’t ignore an obvious thing these days – tomatoes are overflowing!  And now they’re in my kitchen, too!   

Tomatoes play an important role in Romanian cuisine, but merely as supporting actors.  They often constitute the cozy, saucy, piping hot pool for stuffed cabbage, pork goulash and stuffed peppers stew, or are found amid many other chopped ingredients in rich sour soups.  But, on occasion, we love to thoroughly stuff them!  Everything from bread to baba ganoush; rice, meat, mushrooms, meat and mushrooms, liver, pork scraps, fish, and of course cheese.  Anything known to man just shove it down inside the beautiful and mostly unmolested fresh tomatoes!  And just like that, tomatoes become the centerpiece! 

Although tomatoes are not my favorites among summer’s delights, they are simply splendid when partnered with smooth and tangy goat cheese speckled with delicate dill in this wonderful Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes recipe.  In Romania, cheese stuffed tomatoes are more often than not a quintessential component on cold appetizer platters next to a diverse array of cold cuts, meatballs, olives and cheeses.  But they could easily represent a dazzling and delightful appetizer all on their own, a light snack or a quick lunch.  

        

There’s no cooking or baking involved in this recipe, which makes it even more accessible, appealing, and perfect for the blazing hot season.  The tomatoes are firm and juicy, crisp and sweet, while the soft cheese filling is rich and packed with flavor and green freshness.  Suffice it to say – they are beautiful and very, very tasty!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

By Simply Romanesco inspired by my Grandma Vicki

Makes: 8 stuffed tomatoes

Ingredients:

·         8 medium, ripe but still firm tomatoes 
·         12 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature 
·         6 ounces sour cream 
·         2 Tablespoons mayonnaise 
·         1 small yellow onion, finely chopped 
·         ¼ cup dill, chopped 
·         ½ teaspoon salt 
·         Optional: a few leaves of parsley
 

Instructions:

Using a small sharp knife, cut off the top (where the stem used to be) of each tomato.  Using a small spoon, gently scrape out the pulp and seeds and discard them.  Place the tomatoes, cut side down, on a paper towel to allow the extra juices to drain out, about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, combine the goat cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, onion, dill and salt in a large bowl.  Mix together well until it becomes smooth and creamy.  Adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if necessary.

Place the tomatoes, cut side up, on a platter.  (If they tend to fall over, cut a tiny sliver off the bottom to allow them to stay still.)  Spoon 1-2 Tablespoons of the cheese mixture inside each tomato; I used a dessert decorator with the star tip for an extra decorative touch.  Decorate them with parsley leaves on top.  

Note:  If you have a bit of cheese mixture leftover, don’t throw it away; it’s simply superb smeared on a slice of crusty bread!          

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

Fresh Goat Cheese Salad

Remember this glorious salad?  It’s funny how fast a year goes by...  What’s even more surprising is that I don’t embrace salads all that often.  It’s probably because my dominant meat lover side usually screams for decadently rich and mostly porky goodness.  But that changes significantly in the summertime.  Remember this family classic?  We eat it almost every day in the hot season.  

Last year, it felt as if we turned to the Warm Goat Cheese Salad for the sole purpose of detoxifying our bodies after a week of undeniable binge eating in Las Vegas.  But it was also because it was summer, a season when I’m instinctively inclined to get rid of the clutter and heavy food from my eating routine and make room for fresh, clean, light, and vibrant alternatives.  I’m also a goat cheese junkie.  And the chief ingredient of this salad is... you guessed... goat cheese.  On top of that, this salad is good, really good!  Yet, I felt that it needed some tweaking and a new spin to make it utterly delicious.    

My new version of the salad, the Fresh Goat Cheese Salad, is a riff on the Barefoot Contessa favorite without the fried element and with a couple of extras.  It’s a snap to assemble; uses only simple and unspoiled ingredients, and I find it to be more suited for the scorching heat than its sister.  Still, the salad is abundant in textures and lovely flavors.  The raisins give it a pleasantly sweet chewiness; the walnuts bring a toasty crunchiness; the goat cheese makes it hearty and creamy; while the drizzle of light homemade lemony dressing adds a touch of acidity.  A no muss, no fuss colorful summer salad, so graceful in its simplicity you’ll be eating it all season long!

Fresh Goat Cheese Salad

Inspired by Salad with Warm Goat Cheese by Barefoot Contessa

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

·         6-7 cups mixed salad greens

·         ½ cup golden raisins

·         Heaped ½ cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

·         4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

·         Juice of 1 large, juicy lemon

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         ¼ teaspoon black pepper

·         ¼ cup olive oil

·         Optional: freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

To toast the walnuts:  Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Spread the walnuts on a large baking sheet.  Roast the nuts in the oven for about 10-12 minutes.  Allow them to cool completely. 

Place the mixed salad greens in a large bowl.  Add the golden raisins, walnuts, and goat cheese. 

For the dressing:  In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly until the dressing thickens slightly.  

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine.  Divide the salad among plates and add more freshly ground black pepper if desired.    

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)