Goat cheese, occasionally sold as chevre, has a distinctive tangy flavor and contains less fat than cow's milk cheese. But like cheese made from cows, goat cheese comes in many different textures: firm, semi-firm and soft cheese. The most commonly encountered, a soft fresh goat cheese, often can be found in specialty cheese shops and sold in logs or cones. Fresh, soft-textured goat cheese requires special care to be taken when cooking with it to prevent the cheese from falling to pieces during cooking, but you do not need to take this same care when using firm goat cheeses. How do you know the difference? If you can spread the cheese, treat the cheese like a soft, fresh goat cheese.
Instructions
1. Replace cow's milk cheese with two-thirds the amount of aged, firm or semi-firm goat cheeses, as the more flavorful goat cheeses require you to use less. Mix the aged goat cheese into the recipe when it requires you to add the cow's milk cheese.
2. Use fresh goat cheese instead of cream cheese or ricotta in recipes.
3. Add fresh goat cheese toward the end of cooking, and do not allow the mixrture to boil to keep the cheese from turning liquid.
4. For a warm appetizer, coat the inside of a 4 oz. ramekin with olive oil. Rub 3 oz. of soft goat cheese on all sides with the olive oil and set the cheese into the ramekin. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Serve with a fresh baguette.
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