When I was in college, I spent a summer in the Loire Valley of France. I used most of my money getting there, so I couldn't go running to all corners of Europe each weekend like some of the other students. Fortunately for me, the valley had a chateau and a winery around every bend in the road. I had some Wal Mart hiking boots and an aching desire to see the chateaux on my own instead of in the massive tour groups that roamed the countryside. My host mother thought I was kind of strange, hiking every which way in my cheap boots when I could just take a bus. She was even more taken aback by my appetite, always muttering in amazement to herself over how much walking I did and how much I ate. I definitely cost her more than the average exchange student, being home for so many meals and eating so much at each one.
I convinced a fellow student to take a weekend hiking trip to some nearby chateaux, and we decided to visit a goat farm en route that she had heard of. The enterprising farmer had dubbed it an "etape gourmande", a place for tourists with discriminating palates to stop and eat. We found it a few hours later in the day than we expected to, arriving dusty, sweaty, probably smelly, and extremely hungry. Maybe my ravenous hunger enhanced the taste, but we ate what I remember as one of the best meals I've ever had. In any case, it sparked what has become a life-long love of goat cheese.
One of the dishes I had there was some sort of grilled goat cheese with pineapple. How they grilled the soft cheese, I do not know. It even had grill marks on it, but I still had to eat it with a spoon. Maybe the grill marks were painted on. Maybe I was hallucinating from the sun and heat. Whatever the case, I have not been able to successfully replicate the grilled dish. I have crafted this dish, however, in homage to my formative experience at the farm. I would never have thought of goat cheese as a dessert ingredient if it hadn't been for that meal. The honey really cuts the sharper flavor characteristic of the cheese and brings out the sweet and creamy undertones.
Pineapple & Goat Cheese Dessert
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 8-ounce log of soft white goat cheese (usually
labeled chevre)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons almond milk, soy milk, or water
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal (optional)
2 tablespoons pistachio bits (optional)
Blend the cheese, honey, and milk in a food processor until the mixture is fluffy. (The flaxseed makes it a little fluffier and adds a bit of nutty flavor, but it is not essential to the recipe. If you do use it, blend it in the food processor with the other ingredients listed above.) Divide the pineapple slices between four plates. Put a dollop of cheese mixture on top of each serving and sprinkle it with pistachios.
Family, freinds, lovers, neighbors, co-workers, the postman, people from your church, people you like, people you don’t like, your ex-husband or ex-wife (I know you don’t want to, but take one for the team), the cashier at Walmart, your child’s teacher, the kid in the drive-thru window at McDonald’s, the random encyclopedia salesman that knocks on your door while your eating dinner, the pushy car salesman who doesn’t believe your “just looking,” the overweight plumber wedged under your kitchen sink
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Posted by: oakley sunglasses | May 25, 2011 at 05:34 PM
And, honestly, you really can't mess up a good fruit and cheese combo, can you? Apples and cheddar cheese used to be one of my favorite snacks of all time.
Posted by: mrs.deane | June 15, 2009 at 05:13 PM
Goat cheese, fresh pineapple, AND pistachios? Be still my heart! Amy, this sounds SO good. When we have money again (San Francisco is a wonderful place to visit but can be pricey - especially if one finds and purchases a CHAIR there...), I am definitely trying this out. YUMMMMMMM...
It reminds me of a favorite of mine. It may sound gross, but it is a little bit of heaven, I assure you - and even easier than pie! Ha ha. Heavy on the dairy for those who need to abstain, but I'd choose it over ice cream just about any day - or I'd have both.
Buy a jar of pear halves from Trader Joe's, or just purchase a can of halves if you aren't doing this to be fancy and just for yourself. Snag a container of organic sour cream (I am especially partial to organic products for dairy ingredients), as well as a beautiful block of sharp (extra sharp if you're...sharp) cheddar. When I first tried this each halve was served at each place setting on a small piece of iceberg lettuce just before the roast came out. The color and the crisp were a good addition, so I do suggest it. And save the rest of your iceberg for some wedge salads - I love those!
Okay. So, lay out some boats of iceberg lettuce (try to find a smaller head so that each piece is more appropriate for the size of the pear halves), place one half of a pear in each cored side up, dollop some sour cream right into the natural "bowl" of the pear, thinly grate the sharp cheddar over the sour cream until it's covered but still visible - and pretty. Don't forget pretty. Now, I know sharp cheddar may seem a bit... cheesy, but I promise you your mouth will love it if you enjoyed pineapple and goat cheese. Well, at least mine did :O)
If you really do love goat cheese, you'll LOVE my goat cheese and beet salad. It rules. I could eat it everyday. EVERY. DAY.
Hugs and Blessings,
Susan
Posted by: mrs.deane | June 15, 2009 at 05:12 PM