Rosemary Fig Goat Cheese Spread {Naptime Entertaining}

The Occasion: Cookout with friends on summer weekend.

Menu: Salmorejo, Lemon Rosemary Grilled Chicken, Marinated Green Beans, Rosemary Fig Goat Cheese with Crackers & Breads, Plum Torte

Attendees: Party of 4 adults, 3 kids!

Naptime Goals: Marinate chicken, marinate green beans, prepare chilled soup, prepare goat cheese terrine.

Whenever I am in Cooperstown I always make a point of picking up a tub of Painted Goat goat cheese at the Saturday farmer’s market. The locally made cheese is perfectly tangy and smooth and they make all kinds of interesting spreads with their product. This summer I became addicted to the Rosemary Fig Goat Cheese terrine and was beside myself when I ran out of the tub I brought back to Connecticut. I had a dinner to throw and knew it would be the perfect thing to serve as an appetizer before our chilled soup! Since I didn’t have time to do a quick round-trip upstate I decided to do the next best thing, recreate the spread myself.

Of course I would have loved to have used the classic Painted Goat cheese product, but I used a local Connecticut goat cheese that was just as good. During naptime I added some fresh finely chopped rosemary from my herb pots to a small dish of fig jam and let it infuse for about an hour. Then, I poured it into the bottom of a ramekin and pressed the room temperature goat cheese over it. At that point I covered it with plastic wrap, popped it in the fridge and waited for the party.

To serve the spread right before everyone arrived I dislodged the cheese by turning the ramekin upside down and running a knife around the edges. The rosemary-infused fig spread stayed on top and drizzled down around the sides. I set a soft cheese knife alongside it on a cheese cutting board and scattered a healthy assortment of crispy crackers and baguette slices around it. While it wasn’t quite Painted Goat, it tasted astoundingly close to the delicious spread I know and love from upstate. The floral fig spread contrasted perfectly with the tangy of the salty cheese and it got rave reviews all around.