Goat Cheese

Goat cheese, found in the gourmet or imported cheese section at your local grocer, is a soft cheese made from goat's milk. It is often lower in fat and higher in protein than cheese made from cow's milk and more easily digestible. Its flavor is tangy and sometimes earthy, however it is very versatile and can be used in many ways, from being crumbled into salads, melted into spreads and sauces, or used to top meats and vegetables.

Tonight my fiance and I made steaks topped with a goat cheese and sun-dried tomato topping complemented by mashed potato cakes. It turned out amazing, however it is not for those who favor bland food. The flavors are intense and rich. The recipe follows.

Tip: Cook mashed-potato patties before starting the steak, as they will take longer to cook. You can reheat them in the oven or keep them warm by covering with foil.

Mashed-potato patties with mushrooms and chives

2 C mashed potatoes, chilled

4 large fresh mushrooms of your choice, sliced, or 1 sm. can mushrooms

¼ C chopped chives

¼ C flour

Salt and pepper

1 TB butter, 1 TB olive oil to cook

Additional butter to add to pan as it is absorbed

1. Heat 1 TB butter and olive oil in Medium saucepan over Medium heat.

2. Mix flour, salt and pepper on a plate.

3. Combine mashed potatoes, mushrooms and chives in a bowl. Form small patties and dredge in flour mixture.

4. When pan is heated, cook patties 3-4 at a time, 10 minutes on one side and about 6-7 on the other, until a crisp golden brown. Add butter a little at a time as it is absorbed. Do not move patties around much to discourage breaking apart.

5. Drain on paper towel and serve on a plate with your choice of sauce. Recommended is a Dijon-mayonnaise made with 1 TB mayonnaise and 1 TB grainy Dijon mustard.

Pepper-crusted Steak with Goat Cheese and Sun-dried Tomato Topping

1 lb good steak, preferably 2 Filet Mignon or 2 tenderloin filets

3 TB goat cheese, crumbled

2 oil-packed or water-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped to your preference

4 TB cracked black pepper to crust steaks

Olive oil to cook

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.. Place cracked black pepper in a bowl and press into steaks, or place on plate and roll steaks in.

3. Heat oil in medium, oven-safe skillet.

4. While oil heats, toss crumbled goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes together. Set aside.

5. When oil is hot, cook steaks on one side for 6 minutes. Turn and cook on opposite side about 5 minutes. (For steaks done medium or well add 1-2 minutes to each side, as this is for medium-rare).

6. Press the goat cheese and sun-dried tomato mix onto the tops of the steaks. Place in oven about 4-5 minutes, long enough to warm and slightly melt topping while not melting it entirely.

7. Serve hot with your choice of garnish. For this dish I chose crumbled toasted prosciutto to use up the rest after yesterday’s meal of prosciutto-wrapped orange roughy.

Plate with the vegetable side of your choice.

The link to an awesome goat-cheese dairy farm: http://www.surfinggoatdairy.com/index.html

Surfing Goat Dairy is located on Maui, Hawaii and has won multiple awards for their cheeses. They have an amazing selection, from a more traditional cheese with Herbs De Provence, to an exotic, spicy cheese with jalapeno, chilies and cilantro. Their great products are not the only thing that draws me to them- they are so humane to their goats that they almost treat them like family. It was a very refreshing change from the majority of dairy farms that I'm used to seeing.