Cast Iron

Compound Chevre with basil and walnuts

by:
July  5, 2010
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves about 1/2 cup
Author Notes

There's compound butter. Why not compound goat cheese? It has endless uses, as far as I can tell. Smear some atop sliced flank steak or grilled lamb chops. Use as a hefty condiment with chopped chicken and sliced grapes for your next chicken salad. Put in a bowl and crackers as a last-minute accompaniment to cocktails. Or do as I did and spoon some into summertime slow-roasted tomatoes with nothing more than a little salt and pepper for the fruit. With some lettuce and a fried egg, it was dinner last night. —Teri

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Ingredients
  • 4 ounces chevre, unflavored
  • 1/4 cup walnut halves or pieces
  • 1/4 cup chopped basil, chiffonade style
  • 1 tablespoon walnut oil
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil (the best you have)
  • 1 squeeze lemon juice (no more than 1/4 teaspoon
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • salt (optional)
Directions
  1. Toast walnuts in a cast iron skillet on the stove. Just warm them till you can smell them, less than five minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
  2. Grind walnuts in a food processor until they look like bread crumbs. They should be moist, almost clumping together like pie dough.
  3. Combine all ingredients, though hold back on the salt. (It helps if the chevre is at room temperature). Taste, and salt if you like. I think goat cheese is perfectly salty, so I didn't add any.
  4. Use any way you like!

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3 Reviews

Teri July 5, 2010
Enter it! Sounds like a great summer snack, and you don't have to turn on the oven.
Sagegreen July 5, 2010
Ok, I guess I will. Thanks. I had photographed these Saturday.
Sagegreen July 5, 2010
I was going to enter my basil pinwheels, large basil leaves smeared with chevre (you can stack a few "buttered" basil leaves one on top of the other (with the same optional ingredients of chopped walnuts, etc.) then roll and served either as mini cigar logs or sliced as pinwheels. I put them on toothpicks and garnish with a cherry tomato for hors d'oerves. I agree that this is a simply wonderful combination! I have been using key limes this week with my basil.