Spinach And Goat Cheese Crostini Food

GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI WITH CACAO NIBS AND FRESH FIGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the bread slices on a large baking sheet and brush with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.
• Put the cream cheese, goat cheese, heavy cream, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
• Add the coarsely ground peppercorns, cacao nibs and thyme leaves. Pulse until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
• Smear a spoonful of the cheese mixture on each crostini. Top with some sliced and wedged figs, then drizzle with honey and sprinkle with a few thyme leaves and some salt.

RED RASPBERRY GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Arrange the baguette slices on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until slightly dried out, about 6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix together the chevre, chives, parsley, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper in a bowl until well combined. Stir in the lemon juice to loosen the mixture so it will be easier to pipe. Transfer the mixture to a resealable plastic bag and cut off the tip of one corner with scissors.
• Pipe the goat cheese mixture onto the crostini. Return the crostini to the oven and bake until warm, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the honey and balsamic in a small bowl.
• Place 2 raspberries on top of each crostini and transfer to a serving platter. Spoon a little of the balsamic mixture on each crostini and serve immediately.

SPINACH GOAT CHEESE SOUFFLé

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup soufflé dish or an 8-cup gratin dish and coat it with the Parmesan. Heat the milk with the aromatics until it boils. Set it aside to steep for 15 minutes, then strain.Meanwhile, cook the spinach leaves with water still clinging to them until tender. Strain. (You can use other greens as well; chard and tender kale come to mind.)
• When the spinach is wilted, remove from pan and strain out the moisture and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan. When foamy, stir in the flour and cook over low heat for several minutes. Whisk in the milk all at once and stir vigorously for a minute or so as it thickens, then add 3/4 teaspoon salt, a few twists of pepper, and the cayenne. Remove from heat. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time until well blended, then stir in the cheese. Don't worry about getting it smooth. Finely chop the spinach and and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Add to the egg base. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
• Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form firm peaks, then stir a quarter of them into the base to lighten the mixture. Fold in the rest, transfer to the prepared dish, then put in the center of the oven and lower the heat to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and just a bit wobbly in the center. Remove, scatter the thyme over the top, and serve immediately.

SIDE ESSENTIALS: SAUTéED SPINACH & GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• 3. Add the butter to a skillet over medium heat.
• 4. When the butter melts, add the shallots and garlic, and cook in for 1 minute.
• 5. Add the defrosted spinach to the skillet, sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper, to taste, and allow to cook for 3 - 5 minutes.
• 6. Evenly dollop on the goat cheese, and then cover and reduce the heat to medium low, for about 3 minutes.
• 7. Chef's Tip: One of the tricks is to not stir the goat cheese into the spinach; leave it in nice soft dollops. When you stir it into the spinach, it really diminishes the distinct flavor notes of the cheese and spinach.
• 8. Chef's Tip: Goat cheese comes in creamy or crumbled; in addition, some have spices infused into them. For this recipe, I choose creamy/plain goat cheese; however, you may wish to experiment with other types... Just for the fun of it.
• 9. Remove the cover, and drizzle on the lemon juice.
• 10. Chef's Note: And if you are feeling particularly randy, sprinkle on some freshly toasted pine nuts.
• 11. PLATE/PRESENT
• 12. Serve as a side with beef, pork, chicken or fish. Enjoy.
• 13. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Slice the baguette into thin slices on the bias (diagonally). Place the slices on a baking sheet in a single layer.
• Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden and crispy. Cool to room temperature: they'll crisp up even more as they cool. (If making in advance, store the plain, un-topped crostini up to 5 days in a sealed container at room temperature.)
• Top each crostini with a smear of soft goat cheese, a drizzle of honey, and roughly chopped fresh herbs. Add fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately.

GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI - GIADA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Arrange the bread slices on 2 heavy large baking sheets. Brush them with olive oil.
• Bake until the crostini are pale golden and crisp, about 15 minutes.
• Blend the goat cheese and cream cheese in a food processor until smooth and creamy.
• Add the parsley, thyme, and lemon peel.
• Using the on/off button, pulse just to blend.
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste. (I use kosher salt & fresh-ground pepper).
• Spread the cheese mixture over the crostini.
• Sprinkle with the olives, chives, and more pepper. Arrange the toasts on a platter and serve.
• Do-Ahead Tip: The crostini and cheese mixture can each be prepared 2 days ahead. Store the crostini in an airtight container at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate the cheese mixture. Let the cheese mixture stand at room temperature for 1 hour to soften slightly before spreading over the crostini.

CROSTINI WITH RICOTTA AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the bread slices. Grill the bread until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
• Stir the goat cheese, ricotta cheese, basil, lemon peel, and remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Spread the cheese mixture over the crostini. Arrange the toasts on a platter and serve.

SPINACH, BACON, AND GOAT CHEESE FRITTATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or preheat the broiler to medium-high. Heat the oil in a 9-inch nonstick ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta or bacon and saute until golden, then remove with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add the shallots to the pan, lower the heat, and cook gently for about 10 minutes, until soft but not colored. Add the spinach and stir until just wilted, then remove from the heat.
• Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl, then stir in the pancetta or bacon, spinach and shallots, grated cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Put the frying pan back over low heat, pour in the egg mixture, and cook gently, without stirring, letting the eggs set slowly from the bottom up. After about 5 minutes, give the pan a little shake: the bottom half of the frittata should be set, with a layer of wet egg still on top.
• Dot the goat cheese over the top. If you're baking the frittata, place it in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until just set. Or put the frittata under the broiler, ideally not too close to the heat, for about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly (or completely) before slicing and serving.

GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine cheese and rosemary; spoon over toast slices. Drizzle with honey; sprinkle with almonds.

SPINACH AND PARMESAN CROSTINI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. In medium bowl, stir together spinach, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, garlic and pepper.
• Spoon 2 tablespoons cheese mixture on each bread slice. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated and nuts are toasted. Serve warm.