Wednesday Gourmet: Goat Cheese Flatbread

Every week I trudge through the crowds and do my grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s.  If you have not been to a NYC Trader Joe’s, you do not know what it’s like to weave in and out of crowds and customers waiting to checkout.  On the weekends, you’ll average a 30 minute wait to checkout.  It’s crazy but I love Trader Joe’s so I do it.

I wanted to come up with a quick appetizer for dinner so I came up with a goat cheese flatbread that was pretty delicious!

Goat Cheese Flatbread

Total Time: 10 min
Prep 5 min | Cook 5 min
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 2 small whole wheat wraps
• 1 goat cheese medallion
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Turn oven broiler on.
2. Spread goat cheese on wraps.
3. Thinly slice onions and sprinkle on top of wraps.
4. Sprinkle with dried basil, salt and pepper.
5. Place flatbread directly onto the rack so the bottom also crisps.
6. Cook for 5 minutes or until crisp.

Wednesday Gourmet: Fried Goat Cheese

I had a delicious salad at my new neighborhood joint, French Roast, last night.  It had arugula, mango and fried goat cheese and was tossed with a citrus vinaigrette. What a great summer salad!!  Try adding strawberries and candied walnuts to that combo to make a fresh & fun lunch.

Here’s a recipe from Food & Wine for Fried Goat Cheese Balls.  They have a nice crunchy shell with the panko bread crumbs.

Fried Goat Cheese Balls

TOTAL TIME: 1 HR
SERVINGS: 8

Ingredients

• Canola oil, for frying
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup club soda
• One 10-ounce log of fresh goat cheese
• Honey, chopped roasted pistachios and freshly ground pepper, for serving
• 3 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs), lightly crushed
• Salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Cooking Directions

1. Cut the goat cheese log into 16 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Refrigerate the balls on a wax paper–lined baking sheet until firm, about 10 minutes.
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg and club soda. Gradually whisk in the flour and cornstarch and season with salt. Spread the panko in a shallow bowl. Dip the goat cheese balls in the egg batter, then dredge in the panko. Coat the balls again in egg batter and panko. Return them to the baking sheet and freeze just until firm, about 15 minutes.
3. In a large saucepan, heat 2 inches of canola oil to 375°. Working in batches, fry the cheese balls over high heat, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the balls to a paper towel–lined plate and season with salt. Transfer the cheese balls to a platter, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with pistachios and pepper. Serve hot.