Baked Goat Cheese with Fresh Herbs, Garlic and Olives

This is a crowd-pleasing appetizer with great flavors

In 1999, the "Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden" published a sweet little cookbook about seasonal recipes by the great chefs of Santa Cruz with an introduction by Deborah Madison, an alumna of UCSC. This book is a gem. My favorite recipe is baked goat cheese with herbs, garlic and olives. It is divine and everyone who ever tastes it loves it. It is great snack or appetizer, and is perfect for the upcoming holidays. I love the leftovers on crackers or good bread the next day. A chef named Forest Cook gets credit for this wonderful dish.

This dish can be varied according to taste. I omitted the rosemary from the recipe. I use a variety of olives, depending on what I have at the time. I also sprinkle some coarse  sea salt over the dish. What I find important is a nice looking baking dish for presentation. It is important to let this dish cool down before serving. This spread is great the next day, sprinkled on salads, in sandwiches or with a cracker

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Ingredients: 

6 ounces or more fresh soft  goat cheese
about a dozen of peeled cloves of garlic
about a dozen olives, Greek or Nicoise.
A handful of fresh herbs: sage, thyme, and oregano 
1/4 cup or more of olive oil
coarse sea salt 
fresh ground peppers  ​

Directions:


Preheat oven to 350°

Put pieces of goat cheese in baking dish, press the olives, herbs,  and garlic around it. Cover the whole mess with olive oil, sprinkle with some coarse salt. Make sure not to overfill the dish to prevent spilling while it bubbles. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until herbs are crisp and the cheese starts to brown a bit on the top. Serve with crusty French bread.

Guten Appetit
Recipe by Forest Cook
by©sunnycovechef