Holy moly. This has got to be one of the BEST ways to ever eat goat cheese. I mean like change your life good. Are you one of those people where when you try a new food, sometimes you just KNOW that you are forever going to be making this dish? When I say this is amazing I am not overselling it. I am saying that this will forever be a dip on my appetizer list, most especially for the holiday season. The combination of the saltiness from the caramelized onion and bacon with the sweetness from the honey whipped goat cheese and fid spread AND rosemary? It is seriously heaven in one single bite. Typically, my main method of eating goat cheese is selecting a deliciously flavored goat cheese and putting it on a boat, with many other items of course. And I am not knocking that, it's classic. We'll talk more about this tomorrow (HINT for what is coming!). BUT, there is something to be said for dressing up goat cheese with a little extra effort. And I am talking about a HUGE flavor payout. If you make no other recipe of mine this year, please commit to making this one. It might very well change your life. I hope you enjoy this dip so much! I know your friends and family will. Round one of Thanksgiving spread (or two technically since we started with Dessert right?!) is complete. Stay tuned for more delicious recipes as we lead up to Thanksgiving! And don't forget to be thankful this holiday season, there is always something to be thankful for. :)
Ingredients:
12 oz goat cheese (Harris Teeter is currently running a sale!)
1 small container plain greek yogurt (about 5 oz or so)
4 pieces thick cut bacon, chopped into bite size pieces
3 large shallots, sliced thin
2 sprigs rosemary, steams removed
3 sprigs thyme leaves, removed from stem
2 tbsp fig preserves
2 tbsp high quality olive oil, more to top
2 tbsp honey
2-4 tbsp water
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Crackers or crostini of choice (Make sure certified GF if needed)
Notes:
Gluten free
Directions:
Place bacon in a skillet and heat over medium to high heat for about 5 to 7 minutes until crispy. When there's a minute or so left, add in the rosemary and stir to mix. Remove from heat and strain, leaving one tbsp bacon grease in skillet.
Add the shallots to the pan and cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until caramelized.
While the shallots are cooking, combine the goat cheese, greek yogurt, olive oil, honey, thyme, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Blend until well mixed. A little at a time, add water until desired consistency is achieved. Once finished, transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle with small amount of olive oil.
Once shallots are finished, turn off stove and stir in fig preserves until melted and the shallots are fully coated. Drizzle this overtop the goat cheese spread. Then top with bacon and rosemary and fresh thyme for garnish. Serve it up with crackers and/or crostini & enjoy!
As I eluded to above, I am going to be making several Thanksgiving themed recipes over the next week and sharing them along the way. The first recipe was the Dessert cocktail I recently posted, because why not start with dessert?! If you haven't already, be sure to check it out. This dip makes the second round complete & is the perfect appetizer to snack on while waiting for Thanksgiving dinner. Stay tuned for more tasty recipes & thanksgiving inspiration!
Until next time, Cheers!
Magen Check
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