I'm baaaack! While I would like to say after two weeks of traveling to some incredibly beautiful places I am rested and relaxed, I can't. Instead, I will tell you I am currently in exhaustion recovery. My idea of a vacation is to pack in as much as possible and make up for some of that travel time lost in the past eighteen months. On the first leg of my trip I was on the east coast. My home base for five of the six days was Little Compton, Rhode Island (one of my happy places). Over the course of six days I got up with the chickens and managed to drive up to Maine for the day, spend a day in Plymouth, Massachusetts, spend two days on the Cape, take the ferry to Nantucket for the day, and meet with friends for either breakfast or dinner. Three days after returning home, unpacking and repacking, we traveled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee with friends to spend time hiking in Smoky Mountain National Park. Blessed with glorious weather, we all feel in love with the landscapes and wildlife (yes, bears) in this truly breathtaking national park. On the nine plus hour drive back home we stopped at a distillery on the Bourbon Highway in Kentucky. Because of course I had to squeeze in one more thing. It's been almost three days since I have returned home. My goal is to readjust to central time and finish unpacking by the end of the week. Wish me luck.
When I left here two weeks ago, temperatures were still on the warm side. But I returned home to heavenly cool, crisp, chilly fall temperatures. The kind of temperatures making you want to start a fire in the fireplace, warm up the house by baking something delicious in the oven, and/or ending the day noshing on a warm appetizer and enjoying a glass of wine.
And this Baked Herbed Goat Cheese just happens to be one of those easy to make, chilly weather perfect savory finger foods.
The herbed cheese mixture can be made in either a food processor of a bowl using a handheld mixer. While the tang of the goat cheese and sharpness of the Parmigiano-Reggiano give this spread it's great depth of flavor, the cream cheese gives it the perfect spreadable consistency.
The roasted cherry tomatoes on top add a pop of color and even more flavor. Because those sweet cherry tomatoes on the vine can be found year round at most grocery stores, you can make this Baked Herbed Goat Cheese in both cool and warm weather months. Although personally, it's one of my favorite cooler weather appetizers.
What is not to love about a warm, creamy, cheesy, savory appetizer? Especially one this easy to make. If you were looking for something new to serve at your fall and/or winter gatherings, make this savory, luscious Baked Herbed Goat Cheese appetizer. More than likely it will be one going on regular repeat as it's that good.
Recipe
Baked Herbed Goat Cheese
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
10 ounces good quality goat cheese, room temperature
5 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2-3 Tablespoons of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced (optional, but really good if you are a garlic lover)
1 Tablespoon chives, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper
1 baguette, cut into 1/4" slices and grilled (or toasted in the oven)
Baby cherry tomatoes on the vine
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Place the cherry tomatoes on a vine on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with Kosher salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees (F).
3. In a medium sized bowl, blend the goat cheese and cream cheese together using a handheld mixer until creamy. Alternately blend these ingredients in a food processor.
4. Mix in the olive until incorporated.
5. Stir in the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, herbs, salt, and pepper until blended.
6. Lightly brush the bottom of one quart baking dish with olive oil. Transfer the cheese and herb mixture to the prepared baking dish.
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden and heated through.
8. Top with the roasted cherry tomatoes. Pour the olive oil the tomatoes were roasted in over the top of the baked herbed goat cheese.
9. Serve with the grilled or toasted baguette slices.
Notes: (1) Instead of using all three of the freshly chopped herbs, feel free to use a combination of your favorite two. Mine would be thyme and rosemary. (2) I love grilling slices of a baguette, but you could easily toast them in the oven or break up a baguette into pieces for a more rustic presentation.