The holidays are all about the four F’s — family, food, friends, and fun. Sharing delicious food with your favorite people is one of the best things about the holidays. Whether it’s at your house or theirs, as long as you have great food and great conversations, you’ll all be happy. Your hearts and bellies will be full and warm.
The holidays are not without the festive spread on the table. Appetizers or hors d’oeuver are typically light and simple, but striking enough to pique the tastebuds. Goat cheese and prosciutto on toasted French bread is a yummy appetizer and will surely be a hit among guests. Warning: your appetizer tray will be empty within minutes!
Passionate cheese lovers, in particular, will definitely go over the moon with this delectable holiday starter, with goat cheese as the obvious centerpiece!
This recipe is super easy and simple, and it won’t take long to prepare. But it tastes so exquisite! It will surely make your guests come back for more.
What you will need:
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- 1 loaf of French bread, sliced (you can use flatbread, tart shells, or any other kinds of bread or pastry)
- 1 package of thinly sliced prosciutto
- Olive oil
- Herbs, fresh or dried
- Salt and pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (or 180°C)
- Brush slices of bread (or any kind of pastry) lightly with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet.
- Bake them in the oven for about 3-5 minutes, just until bread is warmed and starting to get crispy on the edges.
- Take them out from the oven. Let them cool slightly before handling.
- Once the toasted bread or pastry is cooled enough, spread on a generous layer of goat cheese. Roll up slices of prosciutto and slice them into thin pieces.
- Put some of the prosciutto and herbs on top of the bread or pastry with goat cheese (but it depends on your preference – you may want to put prosciutto first and then a dollop of goat cheese on top of it).
- Drizzle them with a little bit of olive oil and give them a generous sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
- Arrange the appetizers on a serving platter and garnish with fresh herbs. Serve them with other meats, cheeses, crackers, and charcuterie.
Voila! This simple, easy-to-make but exquisite appetizer is best served with your preferred white wine.
This recipe is so versatile, and you can mix and match goat cheese with all kinds of savory or sweet flavors. But if you don’t have goat cheese on hand or can’t buy one, suitable substitutes may include cream cheese, feta, labneh, or ricotta.
You can also add whatever herbs and spices you prefer or you have on hand. There are so many ways to change up goat cheese!
The wonderful and versatile goat cheese
Goat cheese has an invitingly snow-white color and is rich and creamy with a fresh, mild, light, and tangy taste. It is widely available in several stores and artisanal food shops nationwide, as well as online stores.
Goat cheeses are best partnered with:
- White wine
- Rosé wine
- Fruits (such as green apples, apricots, cherries, pears, figs, dates, dried cranberries, olives, oranges, strawberries)
- Most kinds of nuts
- Crackers (try seedy crackers)
- Jams (try different types like pear jam and fig jam) and marmalades
You can find all kinds of appetizer recipes using goat cheese for your next holiday party or just a simple get-together with friends.
You can also use goat cheeses for other dishes:
- Grain bowls
- Salads
- Pizza
- Pasta
- Tarts
- Cheeseballs
- Crosini
- Sandwiches
- Desserts
Going to a Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve potluck party, instead? Thankfully there’s an easy way to store and transport party food as you go over to your friend’s house for the holidays. You just can’t wait to share this recipe with your friends!