Our favorite Holiday Goat Cheese Recipes

Warm Belle Chevre Salad with Pears and Walnuts

Mix breadcrumbs and thyme in glass pie dish. Season goat cheese with salt and pepper. Dip cheese into beaten egg, then into breadcrumbs, coating completely. cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead.) Whisk vinegar and mustard in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Combine mixed greens, Belgian endive and pears in large bowl. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add walnuts and sauté until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate using slotted spoon. Reduce heat to medium. Working in batches, add cheese rounds to skillet and cook until crisp and brown on outside and soft on inside, about 2 minutes per side. Toss salad with enough dressing to coat. Divide among 4 plates. Using metal spatula, place 2 cheese rounds in center of each salad. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey & Belle Chevre Glaze

Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange sweet potatoes in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Stir butter, honey, and lemon juice in small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Pour butter mixture over sweet potatoes; toss to coat. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake sweet potatoes until tender when pierced with skewer, stirring and turning occasionally, about 50 minutes.

Mac and Two Cheeses with Caramelized Shallots

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, covered, until shallots are deep brown, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, cook macaroni in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally; drain well. Reserve pan. Bring half and half and hot sauce to simmer in same saucepan over medium heat. Toss cheddar cheese and flour in medium bowl to coat; add to half and half mixture. Whisk until sauce is smooth and just returns to simmer, about 2 minutes. Mix in pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Spread pasta mixture in prepared dish. Top with shallots, then goat cheese. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes.

Creamy Belle Chevre Grits with Sun-Dried Tomatoes 2 1/4 cups low-salt chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Bring broth, 2 tablespoons butter, and garlic to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in grits and return mixture to boil, whisking occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until grits are thick and almost all broth is absorbed, whisking frequently, about 8 minutes. Whisk in 1/2 cup cream and simmer 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Whisk in remaining 1/4 cup cream and simmer until very thick, stirring often, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in Tuscan Chevre and thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into prepared dish. Bake until cheese softens, about 15 minutes. Garnish with chives, if desired, and serve immediately.

Belle Chevre Corn Bread Stuffing

Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut corn bread into 3/4-inch cubes. Place corn bread cubes on baking sheet and toast until dry but not hard, about 15 minutes. Cool. Transfer to large bowl. Butter 8x8x2-inch baking dish. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 6 minutes. Using tongs, transfer bacon to paper towels; reserve 1/4 cup bacon drippings in skillet. Cool bacon and crumble. Add butter to bacon drippings in skillet and melt over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and shallots; sauté just until pale golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in sage and thyme. Add to corn bread cubes in bowl. Mix in pecans and crumbled bacon. Crumble in goat cheese. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Stir 1 cup chicken broth into stuffing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs. Reserve 9 cups stuffing for turkey. Moisten remaining stuffing with remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth. Transfer to prepared dish. Bake stuffing in covered dish alongside turkey for 1 hour. Uncover stuffing and bake until top begins to crisp, about 5 minutes longer.

Spiced Pumpkin and Belle Chevre Salad

6 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded sugar pumpkin or butternut squash (from about one 2-pound whole pumpkin)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika*
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 4 cups baby arugula
1 cup soft Belle Chevre goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pumpkin in large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika, and sea salt. Arrange pumpkin in single layer on baking sheet; roast 20 minutes. Turn pumpkin over. Roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool. Combine pumpkin, and oil from baking sheet with arugula, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates; sprinkle remaining goat cheese over.

* Available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

Fun Ideas and Suggestions:

• Use instead of mayonnaise on sandwiches or in recipes
• Use as a substitute to cream cheese in all your favorite recipes
• Top a pizza with goat cheese (your own homemade or make Papa John gourmet with Belle Chevre)
• Top any salad with Belle Chevre
• Toss in your scrambled eggs
• Spread on green apple slices for an elegant snack
• Use instead of ricotta or mozzarella in your next Lasagna
• Spread on your bagel
• Put a little less butter in your mashed potatoes and add Belle Chevre