It seems that while people like wine, they LOVE goat cheese appetizers. Perhaps because the flavors are just so exciting, and they do pair well with wine. Or perhaps because their friends can’t cook, and they want to impress their friends with a great lead-in appetizer. Regardless of the reason, Robin and I love goat cheese, and this appetizer is one we really enjoy.
For the November Twitter Taste Live wine tasting event, my twitter friend Beth G Sanders offered me the below goat cheese recipe. She felt it would make a great addition to the food lineup I had to go with with 5 Hahn Estates Wines and 4 Grocery Store Zinfandels. Robin and I have made this three other times for company, and it’s a hit each and every time. It’s got a great tart flavor from the goat cheese, with some awesome tomato and pesto flavors to make it a wide ranging appetizer.
Goat Cheese Torta
Ingredients
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces mild goat cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 teaspoons fresh oregano, snipped or chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 cup pesto
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
fresh oregano
stone ground crackers or baguette, thinly sliced
Directions
Line a 1-quart loaf or souffle pan with clear plastic wrap. In a food processor bowl or large mixer bowl, combine cream cheese, goat cheese, garlic, oregano and pepper. Process or beat with electric mixer until smooth. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture in the bottom of the pan. Top with pesto, spreading evenly. Layer with another 1/3 of the cheese mixture.
Drain sun-dried tomatoes, reserving one tomato for garnish. Chop remaining tomatoes. Spread chopped sun-dried tomatoes evenly over cheese mixture in pan. Top with remaining cheese mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and press gently to pack the cheese. Chill several hours.
Uncover cheese; invert onto serving plate. Cut reserved sun-dried tomato into thin slices. Garnish with thin slices of sun-dried tomato, the toasted almonds and fresh oregano or parsley. Serve with stone ground wheat crackers or thinly sliced baguette.
Source: Junior League of Memphis, Heart & Soul