Whipped Goat Cheese with Cranberries and Pecans

whipped goat cheese with cranberries pecans and rosemary with crostini.

Whipped Goat Cheese with Cranberries and Pecans

In this recipe I whip the goat cheese with a bit of cream cheese to create a smooth texture, then top it with a tart cranberry sauce, lightly candied pecans and rosemary.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings

Calories 335kcal

Author Kylie Mazon-Chambers

Ingredients

For the cranberry sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup cranberries
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the candied pecans:

⅓ cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans
Pinch salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

For the whipped goat cheese:

8 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

For serving:

2 tablespoons roughly chopped rosemary
Flake sea salt, as needed
Crostini or toasted bread, for serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the cranberry sauce:

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter and allow to melt. Add the cranberries, brown sugar, ½ cup (115g) of water, orange zest and vanilla extract.
Cook, stirring frequently until the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

For the candied pecans:

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the brown sugar and 2 tablespoons (30g) of water, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer until the sugar has melted, then stir in the pecans, salt and cinnamon, tossing to coat in the sugar syrup.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set a wire rack over top. Spread the pecans over the top to drain and cool.
Once cooled, roughly chop the pecans.

For the whipped goat cheese:

Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, honey and olive oil to a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Blend until smooth and creamy.

For serving:

Spread the goat cheese over a shallow bowl or plate. Top with the cranberry sauce and pecans. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and flake salt. Serve with crostini for dipping.

Video

Notes

You can prep everything ahead: whip the goat cheese up to 3 days in advance, make the cranberry sauce up to 1 week ahead, and store candied pecans for up to 1 month - all in airtight containers in the fridge (or at room temp for the pecans).

Nutrition