We’ve just received word that it’s National Goat Cheese Month! It may be late notice, but luckily for us, we’ve been celebrating all summer long anyway. According to HNGN, August is the best time of year to consume chèvre because goats have been snacking on berries all summer long, which makes their milk sweeter and more flavorful.
It also just so happens that rich, tangy chèvre lends itself to both bright and earthy ingredients, making it the perfect cheese to smooth the transition from summer to fall. So without further ado, here are some recipes to make this is the creamiest August yet. Time to get goaty!
Grilled Apricots Stuffed with Goat Cheese
While it’s still warm enough to get outside and fire up the grill, why not toast up some sweet and tart apricots and top them off with a heart dollop of goat cheese? Serious Eats‘ recipe for Grilled Apricots Stuffed with Goat Cheese serves as the perfect appetizer for your next barbecue. As blogger Lauren Rothman so appetizingly puts it:
Grilled fruits, their natural sugars intensified by the high heat, make a wonderful dessert, especially when topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But sometimes I like to keep my grilled fruits firmly in pre-dessert territory by pairing them with savory ingredients.
And if you have an abundance of peaches, this concept works well with those, too. For an extra decadent dish, stuff your stone fruit with an aged goat cheese like Coupole.
Ratatouille Crostada
Now’s the time to loot your garden for the last of summer’s bounty…and dump all the contents into a savory pie shell. With goat cheese, of course! This Ratatouille Crostada from Food52 makes excellent use of late-August tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, and peppers. The chève matched with a nutty whole wheat crust makes this meal at once fresh and super hearty.
Grilled Goat Cheese, Roasted Pepper, and Greens Sandwich
Cheese and bread is a no-brainer for a perfect picnic lunch, but this Grilled Goat Cheese, Roasted Pepper, and Greens Sandwich from the New York Times raises the bar. The author suggests grilling your goat cheese with fresh vegetables, making the sandwich melty and infinitely more delicious.
Green Salad with Pink Goat Cheese Hearts
Heart-shaped foodstuff isn’t just for Valentine’s Day. Show your love for goat cheese by making this Green Salad with Pink Goat Cheese Hearts from Joy the Baker. Chèvre and beets are a match made in heaven, and when swirled together form a shade of magenta that looks smashing against bright green bib lettuce and shelled pistachios (and, may we add, tastes pretty good, too).
Dark Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Goat Cheese Swirl
And why not keep the chèvre celebration going into dessert? These Dark Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Goat Cheese aren’t just beautiful to look at– they’re rich, and velvety with a slightly sour bite. As the author writes, “I’ve always been a fan of goat cheese in desserts; its mellow funkiness is more interesting than plain cream cheese.” We couldn’t agree more. For epic chocolate proportions, we recommend using Westfield Farm’s Chocolate Capri in this recipe.
Now, get to cooking! There’s only a few weeks left of National Goat Cheese Month.
Photo Credit: Joy the Baker
Amanda Minoff
Amanda graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine with a degree in English Literature and Art History. She is a reader and writer of fiction and loves cheese that tells a good story.
