Goat cheese is a versatile food that can be served cold or hot, cut, spread, or used as a dip. It can be incorporated into a variety of dishes, and is similar to cream cheese but with a creamier texture and richer flavor. It can be frozen and stored for up to two months.
Also called chevre, goat cheese is a versatile food that can be served cold or hot or added to food and can be cut, spread or used as a dip. It can be served as a centerpiece eaten with crackers at parties, or it can be incorporated to add a creamy element to a variety of dishes. A common topping for high-end pizza, this type of cheese is often found raw or baked in round slices called medallions. Since it has many similar properties to other familiar soft cheeses, it is quite easy to cook.
Even though goat cheeses can be aged and hard, like cheddar cheese, when most people say goat cheese, they mean soft white cheese made from goat’s milk. In many respects, it is similar to cream cheese, but with a creamier texture and richer flavor. When a recipe calls for a hard cheese, it usually specifies the type of cheese, but if it doesn’t, it most likely calls for the well-known soft variety.
Chilled goat cheese is often served on toast or crackers. Stacked atop a cracker, it’s often a companion to other flavors, including fruits, vegetables, and spices. When served as a dip, this soft cheese is often mixed with herbs or spices to add a pop of flavor to the snack.
Baked goat cheese is usually baked in the oven. Popular cooked dishes using this type of cheese include goat cheese pizza and baked goat cheese. More unusual applications for cooking this cheese include cheese-stuffed tomatoes and baked salmon with goat cheese. In general, this ingredient can be used in place of cream cheese in almost any way cream cheese is used. Although it browns a little when cooked over high heat, it is easier to get the browning effect on this type of cheese if it is sprinkled with a small amount of sugar before it is cooked.
This type of cheese can be frozen and stored for about two months. When using soft cheese that has been frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator as you would thaw meat. Do not heat the cheese to thaw, as it is soft and will melt easily when even a little heat is applied. Likewise, leaving it out of the refrigerator at room temperature can cause the cheese to thaw unevenly and become too soft on the outside. While thawing goat cheese in the refrigerator takes longer than other hotter methods, it allows it to keep its shape by thawing evenly to the core.
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