Marinated Chevre

chevre5

Why would anyone want to marinate cheese?

This is the cover recipe from Ann Willan's fantastic book Country Cooking in France.



You make these nice little round wheat toasts and put them under the broiler with cheese and place them on top of a salad!

Oooh la la!

First you have to buy a firm small log of chevre (goat cheese).
I bought an Il de France log.

Slice log into 6 rounds.



Recipe for marinade:

3 dried bay leaves
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 teaspoons of black peppercorns
a dash of hot pepper flakes
1 cup of walnut or olive oil to cover the cheese

In a 1 quart jar or container, add cheese rounds to the herb oil mixture. You can keep adding cheese to the marinade and also use it for salad dressings.



Marinate the cheese rounds at least 1 week and up to one month.

Now cut wheat bread slices into rounds and brush with a little of the oil from the marinade.

Lay a round slice of marinated chevre on top of each bread slice and place under the broiler for about 2 minutes until bubbly and golden brown (be careful and watch the toasts, they burn easily, I burned the first batch).

Make a simple salad with some nice mixed greens, like frisee and watercress and treviso.
Dress w/ a vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, some of the oil from the marinade, and an 1/8 teaspoon of Dijon mustard.

Plate your dressed salads and place a warm cheese crouton on top of each salad.

Voila!



Now don't you want to marinate some cheese?










Comments

kat said…
We bought some marinated goat cheese from Surfing Goat Dairy on Maui & it was so good. I never thought of making it at home, duh!
The JR said…
I love the way it looks. So pretty.
The Leftoverist said…
I often order this sort of salad when I go out, but haven't made it at home. What is better than hot cheese, crusty bread, and cool greens underneath?
Dana said…
Yes! I do want to marinate some cheese. And I am one of those people who has always wondered why you would do so. Looks fabulous.
Bob said…
Yes. Yes I do want to marinate some cheese. That sounds wicked good.
Foodiewife said…
I learned something new today. It's beautiful, Stacey. Another tapas treat for Fridays!
Jen_from_NJ said…
Great idea Stacey! I don't know if I have the patience to wait a week :) I could go for some right now with a glass of wine - Happy Friday!
Catherine said…
Stacey, you're killing me this week. This is fabulous! I enjoy little food projects.

I'm craving this with roasted beets.
Dacia said…
Beautiful! Thanks for the idea!
Bossy Chef said…
Oh.... I make this already only on bread slices not rounds. And now I really do want to go marinate some cheese :)
citronetvanille said…
Marinated chèvre is really delicious, the infused herbs and olive oil give the cheese an incredible flavor, with a Provencal flair. Your pictures are very vibrant and so appetizing!
Very nice Stacey. I love goat cheese. I'm sure the walnut oil would it give that French "je ne sais quoi" little secret that they seem to know how to do. How long can you keep the walnut oil after you remove the goat cheese? I would imagine you should refrigerate the oil because it's a nut oil, oui?
Sam
Jonny said…
Stacey - love the use of the walnut oil. The more country French cooking, especially from central France, we read about, the more that walnuts seem absolutely crucial to everything. Congratulations too on having the patience not to touch the cheese for a whole weekend! I sometimes feel patience is the hardest thing about cooking.
cookeaze said…
Love your photos and this salad looks delicious! yummy, I’m gonna have to try that one!!
red ticking said…
i have this amazing book just love it... and i will marinate cheese.... this looks delicious...x pam
Stacey, I live in Belgium, and I get wonderful goat cheese from all around me. I love it. This looks like a great way to marinate it!

The salad with the toasted croutons is one of my favorites--I order it often in restaurants.

I've just found your blog. I'll be back!