No one knows how to cook with goat cheese better than the French. This was brought home to me by a recent episode of Iron Chef America. The challenger was Laurent Tourondel, one of the most highly respected French chefs in the country, who picked Bobby Flay as his Iron Chef competitor.
Flay, who usually conducts himself with an enviable swagger, seemed a little jittery when he saw whom he was up against. He became completely undone after he saw the secret ingredient: goat cheese.
Sure enough, Tourondel trumped Flay’s hectic late-’80s dishes (souffle with microgreens and flavored oils, blackberry chocolate goat-cheese tart) with one showstopper after another: goat cheese “ravioli” made with thin slices of roasted beets and strewn with pistachios, a Jerusalem artichoke goat-cheese veloute with grilled cheese sandwiches, lamb stuffed with goat cheese and goat-cheese panna cotta with figs.
The good thing about goat cheese, as Tourondel demonstrated, is its versatility. Its acidity and unique texture, which splits the difference between creamy and chalky, make it a good match for a multitude of ingredients. If it’s served as an appetizer, it’s great with savory foods like fresh or sundried tomatoes, breadcrumbs, or (as in the recipe above) olives. After dinner, it’s best with fruity or rich accompaniments like figs or sour cherries or cranberries or toasted nuts.
Yasmin, my fiancee and also the pastry chef at Duo, makes a cheesecake with a touch of fresh goat cheese and garnishes it with mango. The goat cheese gives the cheesecake, which is usually sweet and bland, a pleasant savory tang.
John Broening cooks at Duo Restaurant in Denver.
Goat Cheese Toasts with Spicy Olives
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup green olives, in their brine
1/4 cup black olives
1 tablespoons harissa or few shakes of hot sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
4 slices ciabatta or French bread
1 tablespoon butter
4 ounces fresh goat cheese (chevre) such as Haystack Mountain, room temperature
Directions
Preheat broiler or toaster oven.
Pit and chop olives. Mix olives with 1/4 cup olive brine, garlic and harissa or hot sauce. Set aside.
Toast bread until golden brown. Cool slightly, and lightly butter the toast. Spread goat cheese over the toast, and top with spicy olive mix.
Serve immediately.
Note: Harissa, a Moroccan chili paste, is available at Whole Foods.
