Brandy Apples With Goat Cheese Recipes

BREADED GOAT'S CHEESE

Steps:

• Prepare dinner plates with a bed of dressed mesclun salad or apple slices.
• In a deep pot, slowly heat to 350 degrees enough vegetable oil to completely submerge the disks when deep fried. While this is heating up, set flour, egg and bread crumbs in a 3 separate shallow plates; dip each disk of cheese in flour, then in beaten egg and finally in fresh bread crumbs, making sure breading completely adheres to all surfaces leaving no cheese exposed.
• With a slotted spoon or skimmer, lower the breaded cheese into the oil. Do not overcrowd or the temperature of the oil will be lowered considerably and the cheese will be greasy. Fry for 45 seconds only or until the crust is deep golden brown. Briefly drain on absorbent towels and serve immediately on garnished plates.
• Variations: you can marinate the goats' cheese first in a mixture of olive oil, crushed black peppercorns, herbs and garlic. Pat dry before breading.
• Mix some ground pecans or walnuts with bread crumbs.
• Before breading, sandwich an anchovy fillet or chopped canned green chilis between two 1/4inch rounds of mozzarella.

PECAN-CRUSTED GOAT CHEESE LOG

Steps:

• Warm the bourbon and water in a small saucepan, add the peaches, and set aside until plump, about 15 minutes.
• Put the toasted pecans and Cajun seasoning in a mini chopper and pulse until the nuts are finely ground but not pasty. Spread the nut mixture on a large plate. Roll the goat cheese in the mixture, pressing firmly to coat the whole log generously.
• Slice the cheese into rounds and arrange on a platter. Top with the chopped peaches and juices.

APPLE, CRANBERRY AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss pepitas with olive oil and salt in a bowl. Spread on baking sheet and toast in oven until golden and popped, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Place pepitas and cranberries in bottom of a salad bowl.
• In another bowl, combine extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and zest, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk until emulsified.
• Thinly slice each apple quarter crosswise, and add to salad bowl. Add lettuce and dressing, and toss to mix. Crumble cheese over salad and serve.

APPLE GOAT CHEESE BRUSCHETTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack 3 to 4 inches from the heat source.
• Toss together the goat cheese, apple, thyme, oregano, and pepper in a bowl; set aside. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet; toast the bread under the broiler until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Sprinkle the goat cheese mixture evenly over the bread slices. Return bread to oven to broil until cheese is softened, about 1 minute more.

BAKED APPLES STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Place 1 tablespoon butter and leeks in heavy pan; cook, shaking pan and stirring, until leeks begin to turn transparent.
• Add 1 tablespoon water, stir and cover pan.
• Continue cooking until leeks are tender, 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary to prevent leeks from sticking.
• When leeks are cooked, transfer them to bowl and blend inches Add goat cheese and cream.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Gently stuff each apple with an equal amount of the goat-cheese-and-leek mixture, pressing it into cavity and mounding on top.
• Core the apples and remove strip of peel from circumference of each apple (lemon juice will keeping them from oxidizing and discoloring); place apples in baking dish.
• Pour wine around apples, put bay leaf in wine and lightly salt interior of each apple.
• Top each apple with 1/4 of the remaining tablespoon of butter.
• Bake apples in center of oven until tender and cheese is dark golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.
• Transfer to plates, garnish with parsley and serve immediately as appetizer or side dish.

APPLE AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the greens, apples, raisins and grapes. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, honey, lemon juice and garlic. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with walnuts and goat cheese.

CARAMELIZED ONION, APPLE AND GOAT CHEESE MELTS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add the onions and salt and cook, tossing frequently, until the onions turn creamy and golden, 15 to 18 minutes.
• Add thyme and red-pepper flakes and stir for another 30 to 45 seconds until fragrant. Transfer the onions to a small bowl and stir in the goat cheese and olives.
• Place 4 slices of bread on the counter and divide the onion mixture among them, spreading to the edges. Top with the apple or pear slices, then the remaining bread, pressing down gently to adhere.
• Wipe the same skillet down with a paper towel, then add 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil (or more as needed to coat the bottom of the pan) and heat over medium. Working in batches, if needed, add the sandwiches and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, pressing them gently to compress them as they cook, until the bread is toasted and deeply golden brown. If working in batches, add more olive oil as needed and cook remaining sandwiches. Slice and serve.