Marinated Goat Cheese With Garlic, Basil and Orange Zest

susie cooks's Note:

This is a great appetizer. It is easy and fast and can be made up to 4 days before serving. I like to use a mixture of white, black and red peppercorns. Cook time does not include time to marinate. I always get asked for the recipe. Very pretty presentation. From Hugh Carpenter.

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 (12 ounce) container soft fresh goat cheese, chilled
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon peppercorn
• 1 teaspoon allspice berry
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, slivered
• 1 teaspoon orange zest

Directions:

1. Cut goat cheese into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer in a pie plate ot baking dish.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, peppercorns and allspice berries.
3. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, basil and orange zest.
4. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until the peppercorns begin to pop, about 2 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately stir in the garlic mixture. After 5 seconds of stirring, pour the hot mixture over the goat cheese.
6. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 3 hours.
7. To serve, transfer the chilled cheese to a serving plate. Serve at room temperature with crackers.

Reviews

[Shady.Lady]

I've made this recipe for years and have gotten rave reviews. I cheat a bit and use peppercorn mix from Williams Sonoma as it already has allspice berries in it.
Leftovers (when there are some) are good tossed with hot pasta.

[BarbryT]

I have to echo mikekey's WOW! These are really quite incredible, especially with Pita Chips #51116. I am not a fan of a lot of "heat" but the very pleasant slight numbness resulting from ... what? (I used the combo pink,white,black peppercorns) is lovely. I recommend this highly--it would be a stunning contribution to a potluck!

[Laureen in B.C.]

This is fabulous!! Very easy to make, I served then on a small slice of french bread and they were gone in minutes. I was very surprised and please a the mildness of the peppercorns and allspice berries. I already have a second batch in the fridge. thanks so much for sharing this recipe