Lemon Goat Cheese Balls

These little cheese balls are the perfect appetizer or party food.  And they are super easy to make, look fancy, and taste amazing!  I made these in less than 15 minutes, and it took even less time for our us and our two friends to wolf them down before dinner.  The creamy cheese with the tangy lemon and salty pistachio coating is close to perfect.  We had them alone with a drizzle of honey which I definitely recommend, but they would also go great paired with bread or crackers.  

Ingredients:

4 oz. low-fat cream cheese

4 oz creamy goat cheese

1 1/2 T lemon juice

1 t lemon zest (from about half a lemon)

2 T minced shallot

dash of salt

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

Directions:

In a food processor (or nut chopper) blend the pistachio nuts until they are coarsely ground.  Put the nuts into a shallow bowl or dish.  Mix remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl until well combined.

With your hands, form little balls out of the cheese mixture and roll them in the pistachio crumbs until they are covered on all sides.  Set them on a plate or platter.  Refrigerate until 30 minutes before you are ready to eat them, to let them come closer to room temperature before serving.  

Pear, Pistachio, & Goat Cheese Pizza

We love making homemade pizza.  You can make it so many different ways and you can really use whatever ingredients you have on hand.  Other than our Thanksgiving pizza, we usually stick with a tomato sauce base, different cheeses, and a variety of toppings like onion, bacon, or peppers.  Don't get me wrong- it's always delicious, just not necessarily outside the box.   As soon as I saw this pizza recipe featured on Savour the Senses, I had to try it.  It's totally unique from any pizza we've ever made, and the beautiful picture of sweet pear slices on the pizza won me over.  Paired with salty crunchy pistachios, tangy goat cheese, and creamy mozzarella, it is a definite winner.

Ingredients:

pizza dough (enough for one pizza)

2 T olive oil

2 t dried oregano

1 t garlic powder

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 t salt

1 large shallot, sliced thinly

1/2 cup pistachios

5 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1 pear, thinly sliced

6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded or cut into small pieces

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.   Stretch out your dough to fit on a round pizza stone (or do a square or rectangle on a baking sheet).  Drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle on the oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Bake the crust for 5-7 minutes.  This will allow the final product to have crispier crust.  (note- we didn't do this here, but wished we did!)  We used whole wheat crust which is why it is so dark in the photos.  

Next, evenly place the shallots on the crust, followed by the pistachios and goat cheese.

Finally, place the pear slices on top of the crust.  I tried to do a spiral design, which sort of worked out.  Then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top.  We used fresh mozzarella so we couldn't really shred it which is why we cut it into small pieces to try and spread it out as much as possible.  

Bake for 10-15 minutes longer, until the cheese is getting brown and bubbly on top.  Cut into slices and serve!  We sprinkled more crushed pistachios on top as a garnish.

Sean's Cheesecake

I'm very lucky to have a husband that can cook, and one of his recent specialties is cheesecake.  I requested it for my birthday and of course he couldn't refuse.  :)  Sean uses a combination of cream cheese and goat cheese which adds a depth of flavor to the creamy filling.  This time, he also snuck in a dash of cayenne pepper to the graham-cracker crust which adds a subtle layer of heat and complements the rich sweet cheesecake filling.  It is delicious warm out of the oven, and even better chilled.  Thank you, Sean!  (It's not the best way to start the new year out if you are trying to be healthy, so just eat it in moderation!) 

Ingredients:
15 cinnamon graham crackers
2 T butter, melted
a dash (or more!) of cayenne pepper - optional
24 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
8 oz creamy goat cheese, at room temperature (recommend Trader Joe's for the goat cheese.  It's wayyyy cheaper there than at other stores) 

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup milk

4 eggs

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 T vanilla extract
1/4 cup flour

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9 inch springform pan in preparation.  You don't have to use a springform pan, but it makes it much easier for clean serving.  In a food processor, blend the graham crackers until they are fine crumbs.  This is where Sean added the cayenne pepper.  He swears he added two teaspoons, but I think it was more like 1/2 a teaspoon.  At any rate, add a few dashes, stir, and taste to see if you want to add more.  Mix the crumbs with the melted sugar in a bowl until evenly coated, and press the mixture evenly down into the bottom of the greased pan.

In a stand mixer (or by hand), combine the cream cheese, goat cheese and sugar. Blend until smooth. Next, add the milk and continue blending until it is well combined.  

One at a time, add the eggs, mixing after each egg.  Finally, add the yogurt, vanilla, and flour.  Continue to blend until very smooth.  Pour the mixture into the pan on top of the crust. 

Bake for one hour, and then turn the heat off, leaving the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed to sit for 3 more hours.  Finally, take the cheesecake out of the oven and refrigerate until ready to serve.  I always like to take a slice while it is still warm and fresh out of the oven if we aren't saving it for a special occasion.  So rich and creamy, without being too sweet.  It was a perfect cake to celebrate my birthday!

Cheese Ball with Cumin, Mint, & Pumpkin Seeds

We served this as a Thanksgiving appetizer, and it's really a great item to feed a lot of people at any fall or winter gathering.  The creaminess of the cheese mixed with the acidity of the lemon, freshness of the mint, and spiciness of the cumin all blend together and go great on crackers.  And the ball is coated in toasted pumpkin seeds to make a beautiful presentation.  Recipe adapted from Serious Eats.

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese (one package)
6 oz goat cheese
zest of one lemon
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Gouda cheese
1 t coriander
2 t cumin
1/2 cup finely sliced or chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
fresh ground black pepper & kosher salt
1/2 cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped
Crackers for serving

Directions:
Mix cream cheese and goat cheese together until blended and creamy. Next, add the lemon juice and zest. Then fold in the two grated cheeses and mix until combined.

Next, add in the spices, celery, mint and salt and pepper to taste.  I did at least 1/4 t of pepper and 1 t salt.

fresh mint

Once all the ingredients are incorporated, scoop the ball onto some plastic wrap, form into a circle, and wrap it up and place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. 

Meanwhile, prepare your pumpkin seeds if you didn't buy them pre-toasted. (Note: the seeds you get from a pumpkin have the shells on them... You only want to use the actual seed in this recipe so I suggest buying them husked.  Other types of nuts would work fine as well if you can't find them) I heated ours in a cast iron skillet with olive oil and salt for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until turning golden brown.  Then I coarsely chopped them once they had cooled slightly.  When the cheese ball is done chilling remove it from the fridge, and start rolling it in the pumpkin seeds which should be placed in a shallow bowl.

Refrigerate until 30 minutes before you are ready to use.  Serve with plain crackers or pita chips.