goat Cheese perfect for summer

By Sidonie Maroon, Culinary Educator for The Food Co-op

Cows require pasture for grazing, but goats, with their agility, enjoy browsing and climbing hillsides. This adaptability made goats one of the first animals humans milked, dating back to 5000 B.C., with goat cheese production following soon after. With such a long history of success, creamy, tangy, and delicious, goat cheese is worth exploring now. Try a firm goat cheese, like a Manchego, Goat Gouda, and Tomme de Chevre paired with fresh fruit, then delve into a soft and spreadable chèvre, which is perfect for salads or on crackers. A cheese excursion is in order!

Try With
Goat cheeses pair with both sweet and savory dishes. Consider combining it with walnuts and honey or cherries and thyme. Try slices with pancetta, or with a green salad. Add some toasted pumpkin seeds and a splash of apple cider vinegar. How about braised fennel bulbs, toasted hazelnuts, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil?

Sweet Pairings: honey, figs, cherries (sweet and sour), pears, persimmons. Try dried and fresh fruit at the same meal.

Savory Pairings: beets, almonds, walnuts, olives, red bell peppers, garlic, chives, onions, pancetta, fennel and fennel seeds, thyme, tarragon, parsley, basil.

More ideas: lemon and zest, orange and zest, balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar, black and white pepper, pumpkin seeds.

Local Goat Cheese
Chimacum Valley Dairy is a family-run creamery. Owned by Amy Rose Dubin and Bruce Gleeman. Bruce is a self-taught cheesemaker and trained chef, who crafts each cheese by hand, a total labor of love that reflects their commitment to traditional cheesemaking. Find their cheese at the Farmers Market, Chimacum Corner Farmstand, and the Food Coop. I recommend their Chimatomme with fresh fruit, a good book, and sunshine.

Mystery Bay Farm is a family farm on Marrowstone Island. From their 100% American Alpine dairy goats, they make chèvre and yogurt. They practice an intensive rotational browsing system that combines pasture with edges and islands of native Nootka Rose, hawthorn, and blackberry. Check out their farm tours and find their cheeses at the Chimacum Corner Farmstand, the Food Coop, and Pane D’Amore.

Chèvre is easy to make at home
Chèvre, pronounced “shev-ruh” is the French word for goat. This fresh, creamy cheese is easy to make. It’s an excellent spread, and you can add herbs for variety. It may also be used by itself as a substitute for cream cheese or ricotta in cooking. Smile: try not saying Chèvre goat cheese. 

To make chèvre, you will need: 1 gallon pasteurized whole goat’s milk, 1 packet direct-set chèvre starter. I buy mine at the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company and keep the extra packets in the freezer.

Heat the pasteurized goat’s milk to 86°F. I use a digital probe thermometer. Stir in the chèvre starter to combine well. Allow the mixture to set at room temperature (not below 72°F) for 12 hours. I make it in the evening and strain in the morning.

Line a colander with cheesecloth, or use a nut milk bag, ladle the curds into the prepared colander. Tie the corners of the cheesecloth into a knot and hang the bag to drain for 6 to 12 hours, depending on your desired consistency. A shorter time will give you a creamy cheese spread, and a longer time creates a cream cheese consistency. This will make about 1.5 lbs of chèvre. Yes, isn’t that amazing!

My favorite cheesemaking book is — Home Cheesemaking by Ricki Carroll.

Goat Cheese Balls

1 cup chèvre, softened

1 cup cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoons honey

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 ½ cups finely chopped fresh herbs like: thyme, tarragon, marjoram, parsley, chervil, chives and fennel 

1. In a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the softened goat cheese, cream cheese, honey, lemon, salt and pepper on high speed until the mixture is fluffy, about 1 minute.

2. Fold in 1 cup of the fresh herbs. Chill the cheese mixture in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up.

3. After 20 minutes, remove the mixture from the freezer and form it into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the remaining herbs.

4. Serve on crackers, or spread on open-faced sandwiches with sliced cucumbers 

Nettle Chevre Hand Pies

16 rolled hand pies

Cheese and Nettle Filling

1 1/2 cups (140g) chevre goat cheese

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of cayenne

¼ teaspoon sea salt or to taste

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon runny honey

3/4 cup (150g raw) blanched, drained and finely chopped nettle leaves (measure the 3/4 cup after blanching and draining well) Nettles cook down like spinach!

2 eggs beaten

1 cup (100g) toasted and chopped walnuts

¼ cup (40g) dried currants

Blanch the nettles, squeeze and press out any moisture. Toast and chop the walnuts. In a food processor, combine the cheese and other ingredients, except the currants and walnuts. Pulse together and then stir in the currants and walnuts.

Pastry Dough

2 ⅓ cups (315g) unbleached all purpose flour or gluten-free pastry flour

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½-inch pieces

¼ cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

In a food processor, combine all the dry ingredients and pulse several times to mix. Add the chilled butter pieces and pulse 6-8 times or until the dough resembles small lentils. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together, pour the mixture into the processor, and pulse briefly just long enough to moisten. Empty into a mixing bowl and bring the dough together firmly with your hands. Divide into four balls and shape into flat disks. Let the dough chill.

Rolling and Baking the Nettle Fingers

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180C). Work with one dough disk at a time, keeping the others chilled. Roll the dough disk out as thin as possible into an 8x8 inch rectangle. Cut it into four 4x4 inch squares. Continue rolling and cutting the rest of the dough until you have 16 squares. Keep the cut squares chilled while you roll out the others.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay out several of the squares at a time, and put 1 ½ tablespoons filling into the center of each, leaving ¾ inch free on each end. Fold one side over the filling and loosely continue rolling it into a log. Then, press each end with fork tines, and brush the tops with olive oil. Continue until they’re all rolled in the same way.

Bake them for 15-18 minutes or until golden colored on the tops and bottoms. They’re best eaten warm, but reheat well.

Georgian Cheese Boat Breads

Adjaruli Khachapuri

Makes 12 cheese filled breads

Khachapuri is a Georgian cheese-filled bread that’s shaped like a boat. The specific name for the boat-shaped khachapuri is Adjaruli Khachapuri (pronounced ah-jar-oo-lee ha-cha-poo-ree), which originates from the Adjara region of Georgia. Traditionally, an egg is cracked into the opening, but I’ve skipped that part.

1. Make one batch of lavish dough and proof it for one hour.

2. Preheat the oven and baking stone to 480 F. (A baking sheet will work fine.) 

3. Divide the dough into 12 evenly sized balls. On a floured board, roll the balls into 6-inch rounds.

4. Put 1/4 cup of cheese filling in the center of a round, and bring up both sides to pinch and seal together in the middle. It’ll look like a football shape. Turn it over so the smooth side is up, and cut a slit between one narrow end to the other. Gently, pull the slit open to reveal the cheesy interior. 

5. Bake as many boats as will fit on the stone without touching for 8 to 15 minutes at 450 to 480 F. Allow them to cool before cutting them in half to serve. Keep making and baking batches until all the dough is used. Alternatively, coat the boats with olive oil and bake on a sheet pan at 350°F for 20 minutes. The dough is done when it reaches 200 F.

Cheese filling

1 ½   cup grated hard goat cheese, like Manchego, Goat Gouda, and Tomme de Chevre,

1 ½  cup chevre

Lavash Dough For Cheese Boats

Flourcraft Recipe, Gluten-free, Makes 10 breads

You can bake many wonderful things with this dough. It’ll last up to three days in the fridge, so you can pull off enough to bake one lavash or pita as wanted!

Dry Ingredients for Flour

1/2 cup dry chickpeas

1/2 cup dry buckwheat groats

1/2 cup pre-washed quinoa

 1/4  cup tapioca flour

 1/4 cup flax seeds

 2 tablespoons psyllium seed husk powder

 1 teaspoon sea salt

Other Ingredients

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 and 1/2 cups warm water

½ cup pre-washed quinoa to grind into flour for rolling out the breads.

1. Using a high-speed blender (Vitamix): Grind the dry ingredients, except the yeast, together into a flour and sift into a large mixing bowl.. Grind the extra quinoa into flour, sift and set aside to use when you roll out the dough.

1. Stir the dry yeast into the flour. Pour in one and a half cups of warm water and stir until the dough forms. Let the dough proof in a warm place for one hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 480°F and place a baking stone inside.

3. Divide the dough into ten balls and roll out each ball with the quinoa flour into very thin rounds. 

4. Use a pizza peel to place a lavash on the preheated baking stone and bake for 2 ½ minutes per side.

5. Remove the flatbreads from the oven and continue to bake the others. Serve Immediately. Breads can be rewarmed.

Fatayer- Wild Greens Pies

Stuffed Savory Triangular Hand Pies

Gluten, Starch and Grain free 

Makes 8 Hand Pies

Inspired from Lebanon and Syria, I make these savory triangular pies from harvested garden weeds. Recently I used chickweed and amaranth cleared from a bed for Fall planting, but you can also use greens like kale, chard or spinach. The spice mix will come in handy for all kinds of dishes, from eggs to grains and legumes.

1 batch of walnut pastry (recipe follows)

5 cloves garlic, chopped

6 cups packed chopped greens, such as: spinach, chard, nettles, chickweed, mustard greens or a combination.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chevre

2 eggs, slightly beaten

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh marjoram, chopped

¼ cup raisins, made into a paste

⅔ cup green olives, chopped

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon spice mix (recipe follows)

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Spice Mix (grind together in a spice mill or coffee grinder and store in a jar or tin) 

2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds

1 tablespoon dried ginger

1 teaspoon white peppercorns

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 tablespoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes

3 dried bay leaves, crushed

Prepare the Walnut Pastry

1. Make the walnut pastry according to the directions. Divide the dough into 8 evenly sized balls. Roll the balls into 6 inch rounds, or press them in a tortilla press lined with parchment paper. Set the rounds aside on parchment paper.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400 F

   Prepare the Filling

1. Assemble all the ingredients and prep them as instructed.

2. Grind the spice mix in a spice or coffee grinder and set aside.

3. Grind the raisins together into a rough paste using a small food processor. If this isn’t possible, then mince them. 

4. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, saute the garlic in the olive oil over a medium heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the greens, covering them with a lid until cooked down, about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, strain off any excess liquid and allow them to cool while you put together the rest of the filling.

5. Add the cheese, eggs, herbs, raisins, 1 teaspoon of spice mix, vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes and olives to the sauteed greens and fold everything together.

Assemble and Bake

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Put 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle of each dough round.

3. Pinch two sides of the circle together and bring the third side up to meet them, forming a 3-D triangular packet out of the circle. Make sure you seal the sides. I pinch and then fold over where I’ve pinched a bit. Don’t worry if there’s a small tear in the dough here and there. The pastry will expand as it cooks and fill in the gaps.

4. Bake on a middle rack for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pies smell delicious and done.

5. Let them cool before eating. The pasty must settle, and the flavors need time to meld.  

Walnut Pastry Dough

Makes enough for two 9-inch tarts or 8 small hand pies.

15 minutes plus rolling and baking time

Amazing, a delicious pastry dough, without grain or added fats! It’s rich with all the nuts, but pastry is rich, so it’s still on the occasional treat list. Another attribute of this dough is how it rolls out and hangs together easily when baked. How does it taste? Like a good loaf of whole wheat bread right from the oven. It’s less like a flaky pie crust, and more like a brioche or yeasted crust. Use it for both sweet and savory recipes, whole pies or individual hand pies. I’m still experimenting with all its possibilities. As a gluten-free pie maker, I’m thrilled with how moldable it is, so I can create all the shapes and decorations that are sometimes difficult with gluten-free grain based doughs.      

1 cup walnuts

½ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup flax meal

2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

½ cup boiling water

Directions for making the pastry

Using a Vitamix or high-powered blender, process all the dry ingredients together, on the highest speed, into a coarse flour. I run the machine until I hear the motor slowing down. Try to not have any large chunks of walnuts left, because they can tear the dough when you are rolling it out.

Dump the flour into a mixing bowl, using a spatula to get everything out. Break it up between your fingers until it resembles a fine meal. Add the boiling water and then the vinegar to a glass liquid measure and pour over the flour, quickly mixing them together with the rubber spatula. Continue to mix until it comes together. Split the dough in half and now you’re ready to roll.

Rolling

You can make any shapes, and the dough rolls out thin without tearing or splitting. Tears press together easily. There’s no need to flour while rolling, but some oil on your hands will prevent sticking. For free-form tarts, I like to roll the shape I want on parchment paper, add the fillings, fold the edges in, and then cut the parchment paper around the shape, with an inch border, using the paper under the tart to move it onto a baking sheet.

Baking 

Baking will depend on individual recipes, but a rough guide is to bake in a preheated 400F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. The thicker the dough, the longer the pastry should bake. Allow the pastry cooling time to help set the dough. I like to reheat the pastries before serving. The toasted walnut flavors shine that way.