Marinated goat's cheese with sun-dried tomatoes. Serve with sliced French bread.
This is divine! to avoid having trouble slicing the soft goat cheese - here's a trick: Use Dental Floss. Set the cheese on a cutting board and slice through the cheese with a piece of floss. This will create a smooth cut and not put so much pressure on the cheese to make it crumble. Sometimes it's easier to find goat cheese labeled as Montrachet Cheese (and under that you'll find a description of Goat Cheese). This tends to be a slightly firmer type of goat cheese.
Read MoreI was so excited about serving this at our party, but it was crumbly and hard to eat. Nobody said they liked it or wanted the recipe. :( 3/4 of it was left over.
Read More This is divine! to avoid having trouble slicing the soft goat cheese - here's a trick: Use Dental Floss. Set the cheese on a cutting board and slice through the cheese with a piece of floss. This will create a smooth cut and not put so much pressure on the cheese to make it crumble. Sometimes it's easier to find goat cheese labeled as Montrachet Cheese (and under that you'll find a description of Goat Cheese). This tends to be a slightly firmer type of goat cheese.
This was a hit at my last party. However, I did modify the directions. I did not prepare ahead of time and I got the soft cheese that does not slice well, so I just chopped everything, put it in a blender and mixed it in with the cheese. So far 5 people have asked me for this receipe.
I made this initially for a dinner party. Taste-wise, this was killer and there was none left. I got asked many times for the recipe. However, it was hard cutting goat cheese into cubes because the stuff is WAY too squooshy. What I did instead was take 1/2-teaspoons and roll them into balls, then toothpicked a slice of raw garlic to each one, and poured the marinade over top. Made it easier for people to get out of the pan. My Oscar night variation was to combine the goat cheese, sun-dried tomoato, oil and spices in a food processor, fill phyllo-dough shells with the mixture, and garnish each one with an olive slice and a slice of raw garlic. Tasted the same, and the phyllo crust gave it just enough crunch!
Great and easy to prepare. Being concerned about the softness of goat cheese but loving it's flavor I substituted a Dutch white goat gouda cheese. It's firm but not dry. It was a good choice, kept the flavor but made the cheese much easier to handle. I also reduced the size of the cubes, to make it easier to spoon the cheese and bits of the marinade onto a bread slice and get into your mouth. Finally the recipe is not clear as to the nature of the black olives used. I used Kalamata olives and they tasted great. Lastly, I put the whole mixture into a gallon zip lock bag to marinate just reaching into the refrigerator every couple of hours to mix it around for better coverage. Then at serving time I just poured the whole lot into the serving dish, picked out the garlic picks and it was ready to go. Couldn't be easier and really yummy.
I decided to make this as a spread, so added about 4 oz. of cream cheese as someone had suggested to make it more spreadable. The goat cheese was a little salty and so were the sun-dried tomatoes I had, so I was afraid that 1 cup of tomatoes would be too much. I used about 1/2 cup and also only 1/2 cup of the olives. I chopped the fresh herbs and minced the garlic and then mixed everything together, with extra virgin olive oil. With the goat cheese and cream cheese at room temp., it was easy to mix. I served this with sliced French bread, as recommended, and it was fabulous, also quite attractive with the different colors. Everyone raved over it. I was glad there was a little left over, because it was SO good. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Edited to add: I have made this (with my modifications) many, many times and it's always a huge success. I even had to make it without the sun-dried tomatoes one time because I couldn't get any, and it was still good (not as good as with the tomatoes, though). Everyone just loves this.
I made this after a co-worker made it. It was wonderful and I did not change a thing! I would highly recommend this recipe!!!
This was a wonderful appetizer and enjoyed by everyone for a baby shower that I had. We substituted the goat cheese with sharp cheddar b/c the goat cheese was so expensive. It was wonderful. We also took the garlic cloves out, b/c we were not sure how strong they would be. We marinated it overnight so we got the flavoring of the garlic and it was perfect. Next time I make it, I may substitute it with shredded sharp cheddar for easier serving. It was just hard for people to spoon it out and put it on the bread. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Delicious! We had trouble slicing the goat cheese, so we ended up using unwaxed, unflavored dental floss, which worked like a charm. I doubled the recipe since it only makes 10 servings, and ended up buying WAY too much goat cheese. Overall, a great appetizer for our party!
Thank you, J. Coulson!!! This is one of the most unusual and delicious appetizers I've ever tasted or served. Everyone wants the recipe! I made it exactly as instructed, and it was perfect! Thanks for sharing!
A great recipe inspires. When my sliced cheese kept crumbling, I carried on. Added some capers (it's Christmas!) and used it to top bruschetta. A major hit at our neighborhood potluck!
This is THE BEST appetizer to serve or bring along to any gathering! Trust me on this. I dice up the cheese and usually end up drizzling more olive oil on it. For the black olives, use Kalamata instead of regular canned--it's FAR better. This is always a huge hit, and everyone asks for the recipe.
AMAZING recipe! I followed some of the other review suggestions and I only used one clove of garlic - chopped and sprinkled on top. In a second batch I modified as follows: half Chavrie and half cream cheese. I blended the two cheeses together, then I put all other ingredients in the bowl and Hand Mixed. The result was a chunky spread that everyone absolutely loved. In 5 minutes of putting the leftovers out at work, 4 co-workers asked for the recipe!
I didn't bother with cutting the goat cheese into cubes, I just spread it over the plate and went to it. Turned out pretty and tasted AMAZING. The fresh herbs really make the recipe. Will definitely be making this many times.
I made this for a party a few days before Thanksgiving and I used all chevre and Kalamata olives and just chopped everything up. and made a cheese ball. It was great! Everyone really liked it and since I doubled it, I had enough left over to re-form into a new ball to add to the Thanksgiving appetizers. Really good and different! I will make it again.
This is a fantastic appetizer. If you mean to impress, this is the one that will do it. I used Kalamata and green olives.
I thought this was excellent, but the name was tough to live up to. I suggest marinating this overnight because I only did six hours and it was even better the next day. If you have picky eaters, not foodies, this might be an intimidating dish for them to try! If you like goat cheese, you will enjoy this dish.
Outstanding recipe! Even my steak and potato loving husband thought it was really good. I brought this to a party and everyone raved over it! I followed the recipe pretty straight forward. Someone on a previous review suggested slicing the goat cheese with dental floss- this was an excellent tip! Worked like a charm (after trying to slice with a knife-didn't work well). Also don't be afraid to liberally drizzle the olive oil over the cheese. I also drizzled a small bit of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes over top.
I served this tonight for Christmas Eve and everyone loved it!! I did make a few changes. I mixed the goat cheese with minced fresh garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and 3 tablespoons of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. I marinated it overnight. For the party, I spread a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture over sliced french bread and drizzled prepared pesto. Not only did the appetizer look festive but it tasted delicious!n I would highly recommend making this appetizer.
I have made this about 5 times now and been asked for the recipe each time. I actually mix the goat cheese with the ingredients so it has more of a spread consistancy. Instead of using sun dried tomatoes I use the sun dried tomato pesto from Trader Joe's. Serve this with sliced baguette and a big glass of red wine...excellent!
I was so excited about serving this at our party, but it was crumbly and hard to eat. Nobody said they liked it or wanted the recipe. :( 3/4 of it was left over.
This was wonderful! Thanks so much for the recipe. I served it as an appetizer for a wine tasting party, and everyone agreed that it was simply fantastic. Everyone wanted the recipe. I made the recipe as is, but I did slice the cheese with dental floss. However, in the end, it didn't really matter, as the cheese did not retain it's shape. I did as another suggested and just put everything together in a plastic ziploc bag and "squished" it all together and put it into the refrigerator overnight. I then just inverted the bag to release the spread into a pretty bowl. I served it as a spread, along with a sliced baguette. It was devoured!!
i made this for a board game night and everyone LOVED it! It is a wonderful recipe.. and i didn't let it sit overnight.. just 7 hours ish! Delicious!!
my Goat cheese was purchased in a tube. So I sliced cheese about 1/3 of an inch thick. I put my garlic thru my press and put a little on each one. Then put the rest on top. Wow I had to make copys of this one for one and all.
Made this for the first time last week and took the recommendation of putting all ingredients in a food processer then mixing with the goat cheese. This was good as an appetizer with toasted appetizer size bread slices. HOWEVER, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PUTTING THIS ON THE NEXT BATCH OF WHITE FISH YOU ARE GRILLING! Brought my left overs to a friends house and he surprised me by adding the spread to the top of the fish. The flavor was to die for, high restaurant quality. Grill fish on one side using your favorite seasoning, then flip and add this spread to the top of the fish with a little cheddar sprinkled on top to hold in place. He used mahi but it would be good with any white fish. Actually like it better on the fish than as an appetizer! Try it, you'll like it!
I was nervous about making this because my food-conservative family isn't into trying new things like goat cheese, but it got rave reviews from everyone!!!
I made this for a pot-luck for work and it was a big hit. I stuck to the directions, but added some minced garlic instead of the cloves, some fresh cracked pepper, and used Kalamata olives instead of black olives. I sliced a baguette, which made perfect one bite servings.
This was a hit at a recent luncheon I attended! I used calamata olives and three flavors of goat cheese (regular, garlic and herb, and roasted red pepper) mixed together. I put all of the ingredients into a zip-lock bag, and after marinating overnight, molded it into a ball to serve. I also toasted the slices of french bread. I had many people asking for the recipe - thank you!
Tastes like it's from a recipe on the back of a box of generic cream cheese. Way too fatty for my tastes. The herbs were nice but not enough to save the dish; I've had better cocktail wienies.
I did not care for this cold, but warmed in a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes and served with crackers or bread it was perfect!
This was very flavorful. I see what people are saying about the different kinds of goat cheese. It comes in different kinds of containers and some are softer (and harder to cut) than others. I just made mine a spread to keep it simple...it all ends up being a spread in the end anyways. I think it looks colorful either way. I found my goat cheese at a discount grocery store (Marc's) so it wasn't pricey AT ALL! It looks gourmet and everyone enjoyed it.
very good...I used extra sharp cheddar cheese and it was wonderful. Will make again!
This appetizer is the best ever, full of flavor, this one is a keeper, I loved it! The goat cheese is what made it even better than the usual mozzarella you are used to having with hor's deurves. Thank you for this recipe, I loved it!
Very delicious! I made a VERY small portion of this for my wife and I and we DEFINITELY plan to bring this to the next dinner party.
Really good! I chopped all the ingredients and then blended it and spread it on toasted slices of french bread. Perfect!
If you love goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes you will love this! It really is the best appetizer ever
A delicious, easy to prepare, and different appetizer. Make sure to take it out of the fridge at least 45 minutes before serving so that the cheese is soft for spreading. Served with baguette slices, this is a rich and filling appetizer, so be careful not to have too much and spoil your appetite for dinner! Thanks so much for the great recipe.
This was my first experience with goat cheese, but I had all the other ingredients on hand, so I gave this recipe a try. The cheese was pretty crumbly to cut with a knife - perhaps I should have one of those cheese-slicing tools, and/or let the cheese soften a little at room temperature. Plus it came in a cylinder instead of a brick, so I couldn't get the desired uniform "one inch pieces". The sun-dried tomatoes came flavored with various herbs, so that boded well for a great-tasting dish. The garlic gloves should be small ones, I think - even halves of bigger cloves split the cheese pieces in my case; again, maybe the cheese should have been slightly softened. Therefore, I didn't bother leaving the toothpicks in. I did, however, serve it on thin slices of French bread, as suggested. In summary, this is not technically easy for a beginner to do, I don't think. It turned out a bit messy for me, but the combination of tastes here was very good. Thanks for a nice introduction to goat cheese!
This did not disappoint! I brought it to a New Year's party and got rave reviews. I used many of the suggestions posted by others. I did not try and slice the cheese, I just chopped it into rough cubes. I used 1tbsp of the sun-dried tomato oil in place of 1tbsp of olive oil. I minced the garlic and threw it right in. I put it in a big plastic container so I could shake it up through the day. When I was ready to put it into a serving dish, I mixed it up so the consistency was like a spread. It was so fresh and awesome on baguette!
I did what many others did and just stirred all the ingredients up to make a spread that I put in a bowl surrounded by crackers. I did get many comments about how great it was, but it was a little thick/rich for my tastes. A very interesting combination of flavors, though. Not a typical cheese spread.
This is the most delicious cheese spread I've ever tasted! I served it at a party last night and it was a hit! Instead of putting the garlic cloves in, and taking them out again, I pressed two cloves and blended it with the goat cheese to which I'd added 4 oz. cream cheese to make it more spreadable, then spread it on the platter. I blanched the tomatoes for 3-4 minutes and skipped the olives. Fresh herbs are a must-amazing! I'll make this a zillion times!
Thanks for the ideas this recipe gave me! The flavor combinations you provided are terrific. I basically used it as a jumping off point because I didn't have the time to cut/marinate, etc. and needed this to be easy for folks to eat at a pool party. I used kalamata olives instead of black (although that upped the saltiness). I used minced garlic and just left it in. Then I added about 2 TBSP of lemon juice to brighten it up a little. I also blended all of the ingredients but the cheese and then folded it into crumbled cheese. We'll see how everyone likes it!
This was a big hit. I made as instructed but maybe added more olive oil (a good quality olive oil). My guests loved it and so did I. Don't worry about perfectly slicing the goat cheese. Guests will just pick some up with an app knife and put it on a piece of toasted baguette and all the other ingredients are covering up the goat cheese anyway. Soo good. Also great you can make it the night before. Highly recommend.
This is one of my favorite appetizers. Instead of using chunks of goat cheese, i use the soft goat cheese and make kind of a layered dip. Everyone loves it!!
I made this for a new years eve party; it was the hit of the party. In fact, my wife and I didn't eat any of it in order to save it for the guests. Of course, we made a second batch the following weekend which we completely finished! Great recipe.
Recipe was very good. The portion size is huge b/c guests can only put a small amount on each bread. The longer it sits in the refrigerator the better it gets. I found it better to mix the ingrediant over slicing the cheese. A few people told me it was good but too hard to get on the cracker when the cheese was sliced.
This was WONDERFUL. It was a great hit at the wine and appetizer party I brought it to, and a lot of people asked me for the recipe. I only needed about 2.5 baguettes, sliced about 1" thick, to go with this topping. I also cut the cheese with dental floss as per a previous suggestion, which worked well. I also gently tossed everything together so that the flavors could mix better in the casserole dish I used to serve it. Thanks, will make again!
This is great for a lot of people. Everyone likes it, and I made another plate with Havarti and Cheddar for those who don't appreciate goat cheese.
This dip was a big hit with my family. Followed the recipe except I spread the goat cheese on a platter rather than try to cut it in pieces.
Everyone else gave this recipe 5 stars so perhaps it was something I did but we found the flavors to be REALLY OVERWHELMING. Maybe it's because I mixed everything in the food processor, I don't know. The rosemary and garlic were particularly strong. The flavors were a little more mild the next day and mixed together better, but nobody really ate any. Sorry.
This recipe is great! Lots of flavour, and it doesn't really matter if the goat cheese is sliced, cubed, or crumbled, it will be gone so fast no one will care or notice what shape it was. We get it in a cylindrical shape so it's easiest to use dental floss to slice it. Some of the reviews mention it was salty, or say they used feta or some other type of cheese. Goat cheese is not feta. It's chevre. Anything else would not give the same result. Those who change the recipe and then don't like it shouldn't give a rating -- they haven't tried THIS recipe. It truly is a wonderful appetizer, worthy of all of the 5-star ratings!
Made this baby for a party. Followed the instructions precisely, and it was the only appetizer that was completely consumed. Only six people were here, and it was gone fast. Despite what others have said, I didn't find it too strong at all.
Wow! I served this at a house party and was surprised to see only a few guests go near it. Too strong? Too adventurous? Well, my husband did complain about my breath for the next 24 hours. I think it's fabulous!
We tried this two ways. One with goat cheese and one with mozzerella. Both were good, but goat cheese is worth the extra money if you only have a small crowd to feed. We served it with pita chips. Yum!
Tried this out along w/ several 'old favorites' when I hosted a girls night at my home. It was a HUGE success... everyone wanted this recipe!
I make this every chance I get. I love the smell of the garlic and herbs in the fridge when I leave it overnight. I think Kalamata olives are the only way to go. Their flavour makes a contribution to the dish that you wouldn't get from just regular black olives. At a BBQ we used the leftovers to top our burgers. Would also be great on scrambled eggs.
I am a fairly adept cook and was looking for a new appetizer to try. I made it as a spread and added minced garlic rather than adding whole cloves and removing. I like all of the ingredients, but the dish seemed bland to me. I also made an artichoke dip that I have doctored over the years. That disappeared, but I brought more than half of this back home. I will say that a few people really liked it. I think it is one of those dishes that you either love or hate. If I could think of a way to add more flavor, it would definitely help.
This is very good and got good reviews at a party. I was too chicken to try goat cheese so used sharp cheddar and people enjoyed it. Plus goat cheese would have cost me over $12.00.
Fabulous!! I used crumbled goat cheese instead of sliced because it is less $$ and MUCH easier to spread. I had the bakery slice baguettes to serve with it and this was perfect!!
Oh my Gosh... Yumm Yumm... I used Kalamata olives instead of black olives... and feta cheese and used a little dried rosemary along with fresh basil. Some hard italian bread sliced up. Everyone loved it.
I took this to supper club. Many members wanted the recipe! Guys especially liked it. I did add just a little drizzle of a great balsamic vinegar.
Fabulous! At the New Year's party I went to I brought this and it was gone in no time. I received really good compliments about it too.
I was very embarrased when I took this to an appetizer party with such high expectations and it was an absolute flop!! Don't know what I did wrong because I love all the ingredients, but I surely did not love this!
I really enjoyed this appetizer. I figured out what cheese is used in the photo.It's not the soft goat cheese but semi soft goat cheese. It is a little harder to find but is worth it because it doesn't crumble.I found this at Costco.
I didn't have a chance to try this, but all the other party goers gave this appetizer rave reviews. I'm honestly not a cook, either, so this recipe was both easy and (apparently) tasty -- and such a treat to bring along something everyone loved so much!
Pretty slammin' Made it for the playoffs and even the guys loved it. My husband said it looked "too pretty to be good" I would add more basil, rosemary and a tiny bit more EVOO next time as it was a little on the dry side. MUST be prepared day prior for best results. On my top 10 list for sure
I only had flavored floss, so I used thread to cut the cheese....very smooth slices.
We love this. I don't bother trying to cube the cheese ~ I roll it into little balls. In addition to being very tasty, the white cheese with the black olives, red tomatoes and green herbs makes for a pretty dish.
This is an excellent recipe except for putting it on bread. That part was a little difficult for everyone, but we all enjoyed the taste. I may try mixing the goat cheese with a little cream cheese to make it more "spreadable" for the bread.
I used all the ingredients, but I brought the goat cheese up to room temperature and spread it onto a platter. I also finely minced the garlic and added it on top of the goat cheese with the other ingredients and then you can serve it right away or chill it for a while. Serving this dish is much easier as a spread.
I made this recipe the other day and it was a hit! I spread out the goat cheese instead of slicing it, into an oven ready dish. Mixed the ingredients in the food processor until it made a paste. Spread the paste over the goat cheese and warmed it in the oven for 10 mins at 350 and then drizzled it with a little honey and served with crackers, it was delicious.
This is one of my favorite appetizers. I serve it with baguette slices that have been brushed with seasoned olive oil and broiled until crispy.
I made this recipe like the other suggested with cream cheese and goat cheese. We had a party and people barely ate it.
This was a big hit at our New Year's Eve get-together. As suggested by other reviewers I used kalamata olives instead of the black olives. In addiiton, I used minced fresh garlic and gently push it into the cheese before topping with the other ingredients. The garlicky taste of the cheese was wonderful! It is better the longer you let it marinade. The first time we tried it, it had been marinating for about seven hours. It was good, but we found the left overs were much better the next day. This morning my hubby put the remaining amount in his omelet and he said it was even better. At his request I made another batch.
Very good and very popular. I served it with crackers because I thought the bread would be too filling. I tossed it gently in a bowl, chilled it overnight and served it in a shallow platter. It was a bit oily so next time I'll cut back on that.
I made this for an office party, and everybody raved about it and wanted the recipe. Will definitely make it again.
I made this for a Christmas party. It wasn't bad. Everyone seemed to enjoyed it. I did not have time to marinate it like I wanted to but still came out fine. Also, I used crumbled goat and just mixed everything togethter. Probably will make again.
The flavors are fairly good in this recipe, however it was very unpractical and crumbly. Nobody asked for the recipe either and I will not make it again. It takes too much time and effort to get an average appetizer.
This is outstanding. I used kalamata olives instead of black. I love green olives but i felt they would be too overpowering. Someone suggested using dental floss to cut the goat cheese and I wish I had. I used a very sharp knife and it still made cutting a little sloppy. I toasted baguette pieces with a spread of olive oil also.
Very yummy- expensive treat though. Only changes I made- used kalamata olives instead and put the entire mix in a plastic bag to mold it more into a log and slice off of.
This didn't work for me. I was scared of the goat cheese and used havarti. This was the first time I used sun dried tomatoes- (I re-constituted them in warm water; maybe they should have been left dried) and they really overpowered the marinade. It gave it a really sweet flavor, which isn't what I expected from the reveiws. I thought it would be really sassy- maybe more of a strong garlic and herb flavor but it turned out sweet. My husband liked it though. I may try this again, with the crubled goat cheese food proccesor style, with the cream cheese and DRIED tomatoes.
Amazing. ended up rolling the goat cheese into little balls because it was easier. used dried rosemary, since I did not have fresh stuff.
Don't know what I did wrong, but our gang were not impressed. With goat cheese at about $16 a pound, it really hurt to throw it out.Maybe Feta would have worked better or perhaps fresh herbs from my patch overwhelmed it.
I made with homemade goat cheese which was much softer than what the recipe calls for so I just mixed the ingredients and used as a spread on toasted baguette slices. The flavors were fantastic together! Everyone raved about it at the party I took it to. Will definitely make this again!
This was good. I have to agree with another rating about using it as a spread. It was very difficult to handle and may have been easier as a spread. Will probably make again.
Delicious and stylish! Was a hit at my party. And it's so easy to make... Get the best goat cheese available.
This is the best! I just crumbled the cheese and used chopped garlic. Gave everything a stir before putting it in the fridge and served w/ toated slices of french bread. OMG--yum! Next time I will take it out of the frig at least an hour before serving. Room temp. would be even better. Thanks so much. BTW, I used goat cheese from Wal-Mart (never have before, always bought the "good" stuff), it was great, couldn't tell the difference in this recipe.
Since my grocery store sells goat cheese crumbles in 4 oz. packages (and it's not cheap), I bought two and just made 2/3 of the recipe. It was still more than enough. I also used sun-dried tomato pesto in place of the sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil. I'm sure the fresh herbs would have been excellent, but I used about 2 tsp. dried basil and 1 tsp. dried rosemary since I had it on hand. I didn't think the garlic flavor really came through and will probably add a little minced garlic to the recipe next time rather than halving the cloves and removing before serving. Nonetheless, my guests all seemed to like the appetizer, and it's a nice treat if you want to splurge on the ingredients.
Jury's out on this one. Made it for my Christmas party, Him Indoors thought it was pretty so-so but my best friend loved it. Either way there was none left at the end of the evening!
This recipe is fantastic. Slicing the cheese with dental floss did make it easier. I put it out with a knife and people smeared it on the bread like a spread. Wonderful!
So very very very good. It went in a matter of minutes. The goat cheese is very crumbly; I don't think the picture shown is of goat cheese. It's impossible to cube. Nonetheless, very delish.
I tried this for my pinochle group... big hit... between the four of us we consumed almost all of the appetizer... will make again.
This dip is delicious. I did it a bit different in that I used soft goat cheese and folded all the ingredients in until it was a chunky dip. I also diced the garlic fine and used a bit less. I didn't have fresh rosemary so I gave it a sprinkle of dry. We ate it right away with Wheat Thins because I couldn't wait 6 hours. Super Good!
