Crispy Fried Goat Cheese
February 20th, 2012 § 16 Comments
Food blogging has introduced me to so many new ingredients that it’s crazy to think that, this time last year, I didn’t even know about half of the foods that are now my staples! Goat cheese is one of those foods that food blogging has introduced me to. It’s definitely an acquired taste, but I love it.
Last week, after making the Bacon, Date, and Goat Cheese Galette, I was left with half a roll of goat cheese just waiting to be used. Now if there’s one thing I need to work on (other than procrastination) it would be wasting food. I don’t do it intentionally, of course, but far too many times I’ve put something half used into the fridge, forgot about it, and then discovered it a week or two later after it has spoiled. 
I definitely didn’t want that to happen. Especially not with goat cheese. Goat cheese is too good to waste so I decided to take action. Immediately I got on Google and started searching for some goat cheese recipes. I stumbled across this recipe for Crispy Fried Goat Cheese and right away I knew I was in love.
Crispy, crunchy breading filled with ooey gooey melted goat cheese? These are like a more sophisticated (and more delicious) version of mozzarella sticks.
And yes, they’re just as delicious as they look!
Bacon, Date, And Goat Cheese Galette
February 13th, 2012 § 11 Comments
Valentine’s Day is coming and, I’m not going to lie, I have a pretty hot date lined up. 
A pretty hot, albeit a bit wrinkled, medjool date, that is! He’s such a sweetie!
Alright, alright. I know that was a little [okay, a lot] corny, but I just couldn’t resist. I had to mention Valentine’s Day somewhere in this post!
Seriously, though, this galette is so good that you might actually want to date it. Or at least serve it to your date on Valentine’s Day. It’s life-changing!
Admittedly, I’m not usually one to toot my own horn, but toot toot! This miiiiiight just be the best galette you’ll ever taste. Even my 11-year old brother, Phil, gobbled it up and I thought for sure that the goat cheese would be a turn-off to him. It’s the perfect combination of savory [bacon], tangy [goat cheese], and sweet [dates].
I don’t know how I come up with this stuff!
Want the recipe? 
Bacon, Date, And Goat Cheese Galette
Galette crust adapted from Perry’s Plate
Ingredients:
Crust
- 5 tablespoons butter, cold
- 2-3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 egg, beaten and divided
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (I used half all-purpose and half oat flour.)
Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (I used light cream cheese.)
- 2 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 8 medium medjool dates with pit removed, roughly chopped
- 4 strips bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons honey, for garnish
- fresh scallions, for garnish
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.
- Grate butter into a medium bowl with a coarse cheese grater. Place grated butter in the freezer until ready to use.
- In a small bowl, mix together the water, half of the beaten egg, and the sugar. Add the flour to the bowl with the butter and, with your fingers, massage the butter into the flour until the butter is well combined. Stir in egg mixture and knead until well combined.
- Flour your prep surface and roll out the galette dough until it resembles a circle, approximately 12 inches in diameter. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, goat cheese, 2 teaspoons of honey, and olive oil. Spread onto the circle of galette dough, leaving approximately 1-inch border around the edges. Top with chopped dates and fold the excess dough over. Brush dough with leftover beaten egg.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Add prepared bacon and chopped scallions. Bake for 5-10 additional minutes.
- Drizzle galette with 1-2 tablespoons honey, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Yield: 4-6 appetizer or snack-sized servings
Enjoy and Happy Valentine’s Day!
