Pesto Goat Cheese Spread Food

PESTO MAC AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Butter a 2 quart flameproof baking dish. Preheat the broiler and arrange a rack on top.
• Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pan over low heat. In a large bowl add the garlic, basil, panko, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Add the melted butter and toss to combine. Reserve.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, put the half-and-half in a small pot and bring to a simmer over low heat. Simmer until reduced and slightly thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Put the pot over low heat and add the half-and-half mixture. When it simmers, add the goat cheese and whisk until smooth. Add in the remaining Parmesan and whisk until melted.
• Add the pasta and stir to coat. Stir in the pesto, reserved cooking water, salt, and pepper. Season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper, if needed.
• Pour the pasta mixture into the buttered baking dish and top with the panko mixture. Put under the broiler until the mixture bubbles and the top is browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the broiler and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

GOAT CHEESE, PESTO & SUN-DRIED TOMATO TERRINE

Steps:

• Line the inside of a 2-cup sharply sloping bowl (about 4 inches across the top) with plastic; let the ends extend over the sides a few inches. In a mixing bowl, mash the goat cheese and 1/4 cup of the cream with a fork and season with 1/4 tsp. salt and a few grinds of pepper; add more cream if the cheese hasn't softened.
• Spoon about one-third of the cheese into the lined bowl and pack it into an even layer. Spread the pesto almost completely to the sides of the first layer of cheese. Top with another third of the cheese, the sun-dried tomatoes, and all but 1/2 Tbs. of the pine nuts. Top with the remaining cheese. Pack down, fold the plastic over, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Half an hour before serving, take the bowl out of the refrigerator. Pull on the edges of the plastic to loosen the terrine from the bowl. Invert the terrine onto a plate, drizzle with a little olive oil, and let sit for 1/2 hour to warm up. Sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts, season liberally with pepper, and serve.

GOAT CHEESE PESTO SUN-DRIED TOMATO SPREAD (MAKE AHEAD)

Steps:

• Line an 8 x 4 loaf pan with plastic wrap.
• Process the first five ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
• Spread one-third of the cheese mixture in the lined pan.
• Top with the pesto.
• Spread one-third of the cheese mixture over pesto.
• Spread the chopped, drained sun dried tomatoes next.
• Top with the remaining cheese mixture.
• Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours (or up to 2 days).
• Invert spread onto serving plate. Garnish, if desired, with tomato slivers and/or herb leaves.
• Serve with french bread slices (or crackers).

WARM GOAT CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Open the pita bread halves up into pockets. Spread goat cheese onto one side of the inside of each pita pocket. Spread a layer of pesto over the goat cheese. Sprinkle with sun-dried tomatoes. Place pita halves onto a baking sheet.
• Bake for 3 to 5 minutes in the preheated oven, just until the filling is warm, and the bread is lightly toasted.

PESTO CREAM CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• Mix cream cheese and goat cheese together.
• Use a small bowl or pan as a mold for your cheese spread. Spary a small amount of cooking spray on the inside of the container and then line it with plastic wrap.
• Layer the ingredients into the dish beginning with the cheese (the layer should be about 1/2" thick).
• Next add a layer of basil pesto.
• Place a second layer of cheese on top of the pesto being careful not to press down too hard.
• Top with a layer of sun dried tomato spread.
• Finish with a final layer of cheese.
• Wrap the mold in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight.
• When ready to serve unwrap the mold and turn it upside down on the plate it will be served on. Pull down on the plastic wrap lining the mold to help pull the cheese free of the mold.
• Using a butter knife or spatula scrape the sides and top of the cheese spread to clean off any excess oil or pesto.
• Top with pine nuts (optional)
• Serve with crackers or bread.

PESTO-PEPPER CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, goat cheese, oil, thyme and garlic., Line a 1-qt. bowl with plastic wrap. Place a third of the cheese mixture in bowl; top with pesto, half of the remaining cheese mixture, the peppers and remaining cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours., Invert cheese mixture onto a serving plate; discard plastic wrap. Serve with crackers.

PESTO & GOAT'S CHEESE RISOTTO

Steps:

• Pour a glug of olive oil into a large saucepan. Tip in the rice and fry for 1 min. Add half the stock and cook until absorbed. Add the remaining stock, a ladle at a time, and cook until the rice is al dente, stirring continually, for 20-25 mins.
• Stir through the pesto and half the goat's cheese. Serve topped with the remaining cheese.

PESTO GOAT CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients together until smooth.
• Chill before using.
• Serve with crackers, if desired.

GOAT CHEESE, PESTO AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO TERRINE

Steps:

• In a small dry pan, toast the pine nuts over medium heat until lightly golden brown. Remove from the heat and pour onto a plate to cool. (The nuts will continue to cook after you remove them from the heat so be sure that you don't let them brown too much - they can easily burn!)
• Line a 2 cup bowl (try to use a bowl with sharply sloped sides) with a piece of plastic wrap. (Be sure to cut a large enough piece of plastic wrap that you have several inches of plastic wrap extended over the sides of the bowl.)
• In a large mixing bowl with a fork, mash together the goat cheese, ¼ cup of cream, salt and a few grinds of black pepper and mix until well blended. If the goat cheese seems very dry, add up to another ¼ cup of cream - you want the mixture to be soft but not soggy.
• Spoon about 1/3rd of the goat cheese into the lined bowl, pressing down gently with a spoon to pack the cheese into an even layer. The spread the pesto over the cheese covering it completely (you will want some of the basil to peak out of the finished terrine, so make sure the pesto reaches the outer edges). Then top the pesto with another 1/3rd of the cheese (I found it helpful to drop the cheese with a teaspoon all over the pesto and then gently spread to cover the pesto evenly). Next, add the sun-dried tomatoes in a layer and sprinkle with all but about ½ tablespoon of the toasted pine nuts. Finally, add the remaining layer of goat cheese.
• Fold the plastic wrap edges over the top of the final layer of cheese and gently pack down. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (may be refrigerated for longer).
• About a ½ hour before serving, remove the terrine from the refrigerator. Place the bowl in a shallow bowl of very warm water for about 30 seconds (you only want the warm water to go halfway up the bowl). Then pull on the edges of the plastic wrap to loosen the terrine from the bowl.
• Place your serving dish over the glass bowl, making sure that the plastic edges are not under the terrine. Then invert the terrine onto your serving dish. If the terrine does not slide out immediately, leave it inverted for about a minute to allow the weight of the terrine to break the suction in the bottom of the bowl. If it still doesn't come out, try placing the bowl in warm water again and repeat the above steps.
• Once the terrine is out, gently peel off the plastic wrap. Drizzle with a little olive oil and let sit for half an hour to warm up. Sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts and some freshly ground black pepper. Serve with crackers or sliced bread.

SUN-DRIED TOMATO AND PESTO CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• Chop the garlic in a food processor. Mix in basil, lemon juice, pine nuts and olive oil. Process until well blended. Mix in 1/3 cup cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. Blend using pulse setting until almost smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
• Coarsely chop sun-dried tomatoes in the food processor. Mix in tomato paste and 1/3 cup cream cheese. Blend until smooth.
• Place 2 cups cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until fluffy. Season with salt and pepper.
• Lightly grease a 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Line dish with plastic wrap so that the wrap extends over sides of the dish.
• Evenly spread 3/4 cup cream cheese and butter mixture in the prepared dish. Layer alternately with 1/2 the sun-dried tomato mixture, 1/2 cup cream cheese and butter mixture and 1/2 the pesto mixture. Repeat layering, topping with remaining cream cheese and butter mixture. Cover and chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight.
• Carefully invert dish onto a platter and remove plastic to serve.

WALNUT BASIL PESTO WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a food processor or high speed blender, add basil leaves, walnuts, and olive oil. Pulse until walnuts are broken into small pieces.
• Add cheeses, garlic, and spices and continue to pulse until pesto is somewhat smooth but still has a bit of texture. Scrape down the sides of the food processor or blender periodically.
• Use as a dip, pasta sauce, or spread on any of your favorite foods.
• Store in the fridge for up to 10 days, or in the freezer up to 6 months.

PESTO-GOAT CHEESE TOASTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Place bread slices on a baking sheet; top with cheese., Bake until cheese begins to brown and bread is toasted, 10-12 minutes. Top with pesto. Serve warm.

GRILLED PESTO BREADSTICKS WITH GOAT CHEESE-PESTO SPREAD

Steps:

• Purée goat cheese in processor.Mix in 7 ounces pesto. Transfer to medium bowl.(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving)
• Prepare barbeque (medium-high heat). Halve each bread piece lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise into 1 1/4-inch-wide strips. Combine 7 ounces pesto and oil in small bowl. Brush bread with pesto mixture. Grill until brown, about 45 seconds per side. Serve with cheese spread.

PESTO BREAD WREATH WITH WARM SUN-DRIED TOMATO GOAT CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Add softened goat and cream cheeses to a mixing bowl along with 1 tbsp of sun-dried tomato oil, a pinch of kosher salt + fresh cracked pepper. Combine with a wooden spoon or electric hand-held mixer. Fold in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Transfer to an oven safe ramekin.
• Unroll each tube of crescent roll dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pinch the perforated seams together. Spread 1/4 cup of prepared basil pesto over each leaving about 1/2" along the edges. Roll the dough back up and pinch the seam to seal.
• Place a roll seam side down and cut it in half along its length. Turn the cut sides up and twist the two halves together. Repeat with the other roll.
• Place the ramekin of goat cheese in the center of sheet pan lined with parchment. Take one of the twisted rolls and place it in the pan to create a semicircle around the ramekin. Repeat with the other twisted roll. Leave a 1" gap between the ramekin and dough. Pinch the ends of the rolls together. Remove the ramekin to another part of the sheet pan to ensure the crescent dough cooks evenly and all the way through.
• Bake for 20 to 23 minutes until the dough is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.
• With the help of a large spatula, transfer the wreath to a serving board. You can place the ramekin back in the center. Sprinkle the cheese dip with toasted pine nuts and garnish the wreath with basil leaves and tiny tomatoes.

PESTO-GOAT CHEESE PINWHEELS

Steps:

• Spread the tortilla with the goat cheese and pesto. Roll up and slice into pinwheels.

PESTO GOAT CHEESE SPREAD

Steps:

• Stir together all ingredients with salt and pepper to taste until smooth.