Napoleon Of Beets And Herb Goat Cheese With Grilled Asparagus Food

GRILLED POTATO AND GOAT CHEESE NAPOLEON WITH BALSAMIC-BASIL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a pot of salted cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, but still firm, 12 to15 minutes. Drain and let cool before cutting each potato in 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• While the potatoes are cooking, combine the vinegar, garlic, mustard, basil and 1/2 cup of the oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat your grill to medium.
• Brush the potato slices on both sides with the remaining 1/4 cup oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes on the grill, close the cover, and grill until lightly golden brown and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
• Carefully transfer the potatoes to a flat surface. Make stacks by layering the following: 1 slice potato, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, 1 slice potato, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, 1 slice potato. Place the stacks back on the grill, close the cover, and grill until the cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute.
• Transfer the potatoes to a platter, drizzle some of the vinaigrette on and around the potatoes, and sprinkle with the chives.

BEETS AND GOAT CHEESE ON A BED OF SPINACH

Steps:

• Make the dressing. In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the vinegars and salt to taste. Whisk in the mustard and the olive oil. Set aside.
• Toss the spinach with 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Line a platter or individual plates.
• Skin the beets and cut in half lengthwise (stem to root), then slice into thin half moons. Place the sliced halves on top of the spinach and fan them out. Drizzle on the remaining dressing and sprinkle on the herbs. Top each fan of beets with crumbled goat cheese and pine nuts, and serve.

HERBED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Find a small, wide-mouth canning jar or small glass vase (3 1/2 inches in diameter by 4 inches high), just large enough to hold the two goat cheeses on top of each other with a little room to spare. Cut each cheese in half horizontally, making 2 rounds from each. (A piece of dental floss makes this easier.)
• Place half of the first disk flat in the jar, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then with 1/2 teaspoon dill, 1 teaspoon basil, and a few red pepper flakes, and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Place another disk of cheese on top and repeat the seasonings, herbs, and oil. Continue with the remaining cheese disks, piling one on top of the other with oil and seasonings in between. When all the disks are stacked and seasoned, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top. Cover and set aside at room temperature for one hour or refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Serve at room temperature with bread or crackers for people to help themselves.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH HERB GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Arrange asparagus, side-by-side, on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over asparagus; season with salt and pepper. Crumble goat cheese over asparagus.
• Roast in the preheated oven until cheese is slightly melted and asparagus are tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.

ROASTED BEET NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the beets in a small roasting pan and pour in enough cold water to reach about 1/4 of the way up the sides of the beets. Cover the pan with foil, and roast the beets until they are tender, 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes. To check for doneness, gently insert a bamboo skewer into a beet. The skewer should slide through easily. Remove the beets from the pan, allow to cool, and then peel. Cut each beet into 1/4-inch-thick round slices. Cut each slice with a 3-inch round cookie cutter. (You will need 10 rounds). Cut trimmings into 1/4-inch dice and reserve 1/2 cup for garnish. In a saute pan, bring vinegar and sugar to a boil. Lower to a simmer and poach beets 1 minute on each side. With a slotted spatula, remove and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover and refrigerate until needed. When ready to assemble, heat the olive oil in a small saute pan. Arrange the slices of Herbed Goat Cheese in the pan and warm slightly, turning them with a small spatula just to warm both sides. This has to be done quickly, or the cheese will melt. To assemble the napoleons, place 1 of the beet rounds on a firm, flat surface and begin to layer. Top with a slice of goat cheese, then another beet round, a second slice of cheese, another beet round, a third slice of cheese, and a beet round. (Continue until you have 5 layers of beets and 4 layers of cheese.) Carefully cut through layers, dividing into 3 wedges. Repeat with the remaining beets and cheese. To serve, arrange 3 of the wedges, pointed ends facing out, in a circle in the center of each plate. Toss the baby lettuces with the Spago House Dressing and mound half of the lettuces on top of each arranged napoleon. Drizzle 1/2 of the Citrus Hazelnut Vinaigrette around each mound. Sprinkle toasted nuts and reserved diced beets on top of drizzled vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
• Combine the parsley, chives, thyme, and pepper and place on a flat surface. Roll the log of cheese in the mixture, coating all sides and retaining the shape of the log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the shallots and the mustard. Whisk in the vinegars and then the olive and vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed.
• In a medium saucepan, bring orange juice to a boil. Lower to a simmer and reduce until only 1/3 cup remains. Cool to room temperature. In a medium bowl, combine orange juice, shallot, thyme, vinegar and orange zest. Slowly whisk in both oils until thick and emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the hazelnuts on a medium baking tray and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, turning after 5 minutes. (This can be done in a toaster oven). Remove to a clean towel and rub to remove as much of the skin as possible. Chop coarsely and use when needed.

EGGPLANT AND ASPARAGUS NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• For the vegetables: Place a grill pan over medium-high heat, or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant until tender, about 4 minutes each side. Grill the asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally until crisp-tender. When cool enough to handle, cut the asparagus in half crosswise.
• For the filling: In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, basil, Pecorino Romano, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• To assemble: Place 4 slices eggplant on a work surface. Spread each with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture. Line 4 pieces of asparagus, side-by-side, on top. Place another slice of eggplant on top and repeat the layers. Top each napoleon with a slice of eggplant and place on a small baking sheet. Bake until warmed through, about 10 minutes, and serve.

GRILLED POTATO AND GOAT CHEESE NAPOLEON WITH BASIL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Place vinegar and basil in a blender with salt and pepper and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified, check for seasoning.
• Heat grill to high. Brush potato slices on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Make stacks with the following layers: potato, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, potato, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, ending with potato. Line the grill with foil and grill the stacks, covered, about 1 minute or until cheese starts to melt. When the cheese is almost melted, slide the stacks from the foil to the grate of the grill just to crisp the bottom, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Drizzle the basil vinaigrette on and around the potatoes and top each Napoleon with some of the basis leaves and chives, if using.

GRILLED BEETS WITH GOAT'S CHEESE AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill.
• Cover beets by 3 inches with cold water in a large saucepot. Bring the water to boil and simmer until paring knife slides out of beet when pricked. Strain and let cool. While running under water, rub beets with towel to remove skin. Slice beets into 1/2-inch rounds. Prepare marinade by combining all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and add vegetable oil. Toss sliced beets and hold.
• To prepare the walnuts, melt butter in a 10-inch skillet and add walnuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes and season well with salt and pepper. Reserve left over butter.
• For the vinaigrette add all the ingredients and the walnut butter. Whisk well.
• To finish, grill beets on both sides for 2 minutes and toss in vinaigrette. Place 4 to 6 slices of beets on each plate and drizzle with vinaigrette. Add 5 dollops of goat's cheese (1 to 2 ounces) per serving, sprinkled with walnuts and chives.

HERB GARLIC BAKED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. In small saucepan heat oil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, rosemary, orange zest and red pepper. Cook, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes or until garlic is golden, stirring frequently.
• 2. Cut cheese into 8 even pieces. Place in 1-quart gratin dish or 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle with cranberries. Pour garlic oil over top. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is warm. Serve warm with KEEBLER TOWN HOUSE Flatbread Crisps - Sea Salt and Olive Oil.
• Entwine Pairing: Chardonnay (rich, garlicky cheese gets tempered by the wine's apple notes)
• Nutrition Information:
• Serving Size: 1.5 oz. cheese mixture plus 4 crackers; Calories 250, Calories From Fat 160, Saturated Fat 9g, Trans Fat 0g, Total Fat 18g, Cholesterol 30mg, Sodium 300mg, Total Carbohydrates 13g, Sugars 4g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Protein 9g, Vitamin A 10%, Vitamin C 2%, Calcium 10%, Iron 4%

BEET AND GOAT CHEESE NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Using a round cookie cutter (size will depend on size of beets), cut out as many rounds as you can. In a medium-size skillet, bring rice vinegar and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and add beet slices in batches that you can manage, cook beet slices, turning once, about 2 minutes. Transfer slices to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Pat dry and let chill. The left over scraps can be cooked up the same way to be used later in a salad.
• Stir goat cheese together with the chives, parsley, 2 teaspoons thyme, and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
• Bring orange juice to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup, 4-5 minutes. Be careful to watch this part closely. I burned the first batch, and it didn't taste yummy. Let cool. Transfer juice to a bowl along with remaining thyme, balsamic vinegar, zest, and shallots. While whisking, drizzle in olive oil and hazelnut oil; whisk until smooth. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper; let chill.
• To serve: Put 1 beet slice on work surface; spread about 1 tsp to 1 tablespoons cheese mixture over beet depending on the size of your rounds. Top cheese with another beet slice, pressing down so cheese oozes to edge. Repeat to create a stack with 3 to 4 layers of cheese between 4 to 5 beet slices. Make as many stacks as you can with the slices you have. I ended up with 9 stacks because the beets I had were pretty small. Slice each stack into 4 wedges if large, or in half if they are small. Place salad greens on small plates and divide beets among them. Drizzle vinaigrette over each plate; garnish with nuts.
• I had extra goat cheese left over, which I used to top some pasta a couple of days later -- yum.

GRILLED STEAK WITH CREAMY HERBED GOAT CHEESE SAUCE

Steps:

• In small bowl, mix Chavrie®, chives, parsley and basil. Rub all surfaces of steaks with garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Grill over medium-high heat or broil 4 to 6 inches from heat to desired doneness. Spoon herbed Chavrie® sauce over steaks.
• * To make chiffonade, stack basil leaves and roll up like a jelly roll. Cut into thin slices.