My appetizer at Burdick’s in Walpole, NH – whipped chevre drizzled with pistachios, chives, candied bacon and honey
I was out to dinner recently where I had whipped chevre for my appetizer. I had never heard of it before! When I got home, I googled it, and discovered that it has been in vogue for awhile and there are a million different ways to prepare it. Apparently, you can serve it at any meal as a sweet treat or a savory dip. In fact, anything you can do with cream cheese, you can do with whipped chevre and the result will be slightly tangy and much more flavorful.
Note: Making your own chevre is very simple – click here.
Breakfast
Whipped chevre is perfect for a fancy brunch or any breakfast meal. For this purpose, it is usually whipped with cream and served with berries. Any kind of berries will work or you can use fruits like peaches, bananas, pineapple, etc. The sweetener can be honey, maple syrup, sugar, stevia, etc., or no sweetener at all. Instead of cream, you can use a few drops of milk to soften up the chevre, or a few teaspoons of yogurt, or, if your chevre is soft, you can just whip it.
Here’s a delightful recipe from Salt & Wind:
Courtesy of Salt & Wind
Toasted Brioche with Whipped Goat Cheese and Asian Pear Compote
By Lillian Kang at Salt & Wind
1 pound Asian pears peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
8 oz. (about 1) Fuji apple cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 lemon
(1 Tbsp. lemon juice)
1 (3 inch) cinnamon stick
4 oz. chevre goat cheese
room temperature:
3 Tbsp. heavy cream or milk
1 loaf Brioche bread cut into 3/4-inch slices
1. In a small saucepan add all the ingredients and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and transfer to a heatproof jar or bowl; set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Cover and refrigerate and serve after chilled for at least an hour.
4. When ready to serve, using an electric mixer beat the goat cheese and heavy cream or milk together until light and fluffy. Toast brioche and spread whipped goat cheese on and top and spoon over pear compote and serve.
Tip: Compote can be made up to 4 days ahead of time; store refrigerated in an airtight container.
Appetizers
Anything goes with this category! Some serve it sweet and some savory. The most common basic recipe is probably 4 ounces of goat cheese with 1 clove of garlic and 1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil used as either a dip or a spread. Other recipes include a combination of rosemary and thyme, rosemary and lemon zest, basil and pine nuts, etc.
Here’s a gorgeous appetizer from the The Pescetarian and the Pig:
Courtesy of The Pescetarian and the Pig
Basil Whipped Goat Cheese Stuffed Strawberries with Balsamic Glaze
12 large strawberries
4 oz. chevre goat cheese
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil
Balsamic glaze for garnish
1. Hull each strawberry and cut the tip off of each so that they can stand upright.
2. In your stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk together goat cheese, Greek yogurt, and basil for about 2 minutes.
3. Put whipped goat cheese mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and fill each strawberry. Drizzle each with balsamic glaze and decorate the plate to your heart’s content!
(I used a dollop of balsamic glaze to hold each strawberry in place on the plate as well)
Side Dish
This is the most interesting category because cream cheese (the most similar counterpart) is not as commonly used in a side dish and, hence, the recipes seem to be to be much more original. I found two great ones:
Courtesy of Cedric Angeles for Bon Appetit
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Whipped Goat Cheese from Bon Appetit
By Domenica in New Orleans for Bon Appetit
2 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup kosher salt
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 bay leaf
1 head of cauliflower, leaves removed
Whipped Goat Cheese
4 oz. fresh goat cheese
3 oz. cream cheese
3 oz. feta
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. olive oil plus more for serving
Coarse sea salt (for serving)
Roasted Cauliflower
1. Preheat oven to 475F. Bring wine, oil, kosher salt, juice, butter, red pepper flakes, sugar, bay leaf, and 8 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add cauliflower, reduce heat, and simmer, turning occasionally, until a knife easily inserts into center, 15-20 minutes.
2. Using 2 slotted spoons or a mesh spider, transfer cauliflower to a rimmed baking sheet, draining well. Roast, rotating sheet halfway through, until brown all over, 30-40 minutes.
Whipped Goat Cheese and Assembly
1. While cauliflower is roasting, blend goat cheese, cream cheese, feta, cream, and 2 tablespoons oil in a food processor until smooth; season with sea salt. Transfer whipped goat cheese to a serving bowl and drizzle with oil.
2. Transfer cauliflower to a plate. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with whipped goat cheese.
DO AHEAD: Whipped goat cheese can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
Another Side Dish
Courtesy of Lisa Predko at People
Salt-Roasted Beets with Whipped Goat Cheese & Pistachio Vinaigrette from People
By Jimmy Bannos, Jr. at The Purple Pig in Chicago
1 lb. diced red beets
2 1/2 oz. whipped goat cheese (recipe below)
1 oz. toasted pistachios, chopped
3 cups (for roasting) plus 1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 oz. red wine vinegar
1/2 oz. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. dry oregano
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a large baking pan, make a bed of salt place the beets on top. Roast in the oven until you can pierce the center of the beet easily with a knife. Remove and set aside to cool down a bit. Once cool enough to handle, peel the beets and chop. Set aside.
3. For the red wine vinaigrette, whisk together the red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper in a bowl.
4. In a large bowl combine the beets, salt, pepper, vinaigrette, and olive oil. Mix and taste. Add pistachios and mix well. Smear some of the goat cheese around the inside of the serving bowl, add beet salad, and top with the remainder of the goat cheese and more toasted pistachios.
Whipped goat cheese
1 lb. goat cheese
1 Tbsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
3 oz. olive oil
In a mixer whip all ingredients together until light and airy. Be careful not to over whip.
Dessert
Anything goes for a yummy dessert, including folding in cocoa, drizzling honey, adding cream and vanilla extract- the variations are endless. Here’s a simple way to use your chevre:
Courtesy of Bakeaholic Mama
Pound Cake with Caramel Peaches and Chèvre Whipped Cream from Bakeaholic Mama
By Carrie Burrill at Bakeaholic Mama
For the Caramel Peaches
3 ripe peaches sliced (skin left on)
2 Tbsp. of unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan, whisk in sugar and salt add in peaches.
2. Simmer of med/low heat for about 15 minutes or until the peaches are cooked and the sauce thickens.
Pour hot over pound cake.
For the Chèvre Whipped Cream
4 oz of room temp chèvre (if you don’t like goat cheese you can sub with room temp cream cheese)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. of powdered sugar
On medium/high speed, whip cream until you have soft peaks. Whip in your cheese, vanilla and sugar. If you like a really sweet cream you can add additional sugar to taste.
Use as a dessert topping.
If you have a recipe for whipped chevre, please send it to jeri@cheesemaking.com or post it in the comments below.
