Summer is in
full swing and its bounty of fruits and vegetables are local, sweet, and
usually on sale. I got some beautiful local tomatoes at a pop up market - a
common occurrence during the warmer months in Montreal - and wanted to make
something to complement their sweet and tender meatiness.
I love goat
cheese and the tart creaminess of it goes beautifully with the tomatoes’
gentle acidity. Because any idiot can serve tomatoes with plain goat cheese, I
decided to spruce the cheese up a bit with the fresh sweet basil from my mother’s
garden and the robustness of fresh garlic. Whipped into a flavorful spread,
this dish is match made in heaven.
Though you can
make this with a knife, cutting board, and whisk, if you have a food processor
USE IT as it’s WAY less labour intensive and makes the goat cheese extra fluffy.
Here’s How You Do It
Difficulty Level: Easy
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Serves 2 to 4 as an appetizer or
snack
Ingredients
1 – 130 g log of Soft Goat Cheese
4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil + 1 more
Tablespoon for drizzling on the Tomatoes
1 Clove of Garlic, peeled
2 Cups of Fresh Basil
2 Large Summer Tomatoes, thinly sliced
Salt and Fresh Black Pepper
Equipment
Food Processor
1 Knife and Cutting Board
Measuring Spoons
1 Rubber Spatula
Dump the Basil
and Garlic in your food processor.
Pulse the
ingredients once or twice to coarse chop the basil and garlic.
With a rubber
spatula, scrape the insides of the food processor so everything stays in range
of the blade.
Add the Olive
oil and process on high speed for 10-20 seconds until everything becomes more
paste – like.
Add the goat
cheese and process until fluffy.
I find the tang
of the goat cheese is strong enough for this to not need any salt, but taste,
and if you feel it needs, add and process for ten seconds to combine.
Arrange the
tomato slices on a plate and drizzle on some Olive Oil.
Season with a
little salt and pepper and serve with the basil/goat cheese mixture.
Enjoy!
-Samantha R. Gold
Questions? Comments? Requests?
Bring it on!
I can be reached at: for.the.culinarily.challenged@gmail.com
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