Creamy Goat Cheese and Garlic Spread

Best Darn Goat Cheese Spread You'll Ever Have!

Our friend Renee gets all the credit for this dish.  I vividly remember the first time she served this to Cherie and I and it makes my mouth water to this day.  Quite often we find ourselves having a spontaneous gathering and this is a dish that can be made quickly with ingredients on hand and your guests will rave.  No cooking is required and the only planning needed is to take your goat cheese log out of the frig about 20-30 minutes prior to adding these simple ingredients to a food processor. This can also be made a day in advance if you are having a dinner party.

The Birthday Boy in action.

Tonight we are attending a birthday party for my buddy Ron and have chosen to bring an appetizer. It travels well, along with pita chips, water crackers and spreads nicely on crispy rounds of toasted Italian bread, fresh celery and we often serve with a bowl of mixed kalmata and stuffed green olives on the side.

Seriously, who needs dinner after this? 

Creamy Goat Cheese and Garlic Spread

Ingredients

11 oz. log of Goat Cheese

3 Teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Cloves of fresh Garlic,  peeled and minced*
*Note Remove the green "germ"  inside the garlic as it will make the dip bitter

1/2 teaspoon Salt

In a food processor add all ingredients and blend until smooth.  Be sure to pour the Olive Oil in last,  directly into the spinning processor.  Can be served immediately or refrigerated overnight.

Crackers and Crudite Complete the Dish!

Notes: Trader Joe's is my favorite place to shop for all varieties of cheese and the "Silver Goat Cheese" comes in an 11 ounce log that's a perfect size for this recipe.  I frequently add additional ingredients like sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh thyme or fresh rosemary  creating fun variations and compelling flavor profiles.





Always start with the basic ingredients listed above and never add any more than one more ingredient.  Sun dried tomato makes for an unusual color but a great taste and basil gives off an irresistible aroma.  Experiment and have fun with it!

• Buon Apetito!