Goat Cheese Recipes

Chef Daniel Patterson conceived of this unconventional method for making eggs: He beats the eggs, cooks them quickly in a vortex of boiling water, then immediately drains them. The result is super-creamy, perfectly scrambled eggs; topped with goat cheese sauce, the dish becomes a kind of reverse omelet. If you're scrambling just one egg, the cooking time will be 20 seconds. For four eggs, the time increases to 40 seconds.

Poppy, known for simple, seasonal dishes from chef Jerry Traunfeld, keeps a molecular gastronomist in the pastry station. Dana Cree uses techniques she picked up at the Fat Duck in the U.K. and New York City's WD-50. "I learned to divorce flavors from their original textures to create something new," she says.

Using the mushroom-soaking liquid to cook the rice gives this risotto intense flavor. There's just enough goat cheese to balance the earthiness of the porcini with a touch of tartness without overwhelming the dish.

Many bottled salad dressings are loaded with fat, as well as preservatives that keep them shelf-stable. Plus, they often just don't taste very good. F&W's Grace Parisi makes a simple, creamy dressing by whisking fresh goat cheese with vinegar and oil; she tosses it with a salad of warm roasted beets and beet greens, which brings us to another good rule: Eat vegetables from root to leaf when possible.

Goat cheese and salami? Yes, the two taste wonderful together and on pasta.

Chef Brian Lewis of Elm in New Canaan, CT, sends his staff to apprentice at a local farm for 16 hours a month. In return, Elm receives fresh produce, like the kind in this raw vegetable salad.

"I am obsessed with the chèvre from Texas’s Pure Luck Farm," says Laura Sawicki. "I love how well it pairs with the cooked rhubarb in my cheesecakes."

For Eataly's seafood dishes, Mario Batali enlisted the help of Dave Pasternack, chef-partner at his outstanding restaurant Esca. "This gives Dave another place to play with fish," Batali says. "Plus, I don't go to the Olympics without bringing my MVPs." Together they created this earthy salad with chopped cured anchovies in the dressing.

Rick Bayless's stellar vegetarian sandwiches (tortas) are full of earthy mushrooms and tangy goat cheese.

The potato salad can be prepared through Step 2 and refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.

In traditional ratatouille, vegetables simmer together until they're falling-apart tender. Here, Melissa Clark cooks them quickly in batches, so they retain their flavor and texture.

Like sugar, honey caramelizes as it cooks. Here, warm honey is drizzled over a mixture of goat cheese and Greek yogurt, where it cools to a caramel-like consistency.

Christophe Emé's late uncle, Auguste Fauqereau, had never been on an airplane; he made his own wine and goat cheese in the Loire because that's what he'd always done. Today, Emé spices up goat cheese with fresh herbs, salt and the piquant ground red pepper piment d'Espelette, then forms it into balls. He likes to serve them in a spectacular way, by packing them with olive oil, artichokes, olives and tomatoes in a giant jar that he sets out on the table with a big spoon for scooping.

This simple salad has a perfect mix of bitter (arugula), sweet (Asian pear), tangy (lemon dressing) and crunchy (pumpkin seeds). Try it with green apples or Bosc pears if Asian pears are hard to find.

Club soda lightens the egg batter that coats the cheese, and a double-coating of panko crumbs amplifies the crunch. Moore serves the sweet-savory balls as an appetizer or a dessert.

The delectably rich-tasting sauce that clings to each strand of fettuccine here requires no cooking. Just combine goat cheese, Parmesan, milk, and some of the still-hot pasta-cooking water, and it's done.

Inspired by classic green bean casseroles from his childhood, F&W's Justin Chapple put a Spanish spin on this timeless favorite by topping the creamy beans with smoky pimentón de la Vera and toasted almonds.

Tangy goat cheese, sharp Parmesan, tender sautéed eggplant, and bold pesto cover a mouth-watering pizza. This recipe makes a hearty fourteen-inch pizza; you be the judge whether it serves two or four.

Meaty mushrooms are enhanced by sweet caramelized onions and just enough tangy melted goat cheese in this delicious year-round pasta.

Jim German turns to local producer Monteillet Fromagerie for fantastic goat and sheep cheeses. While most of Monteillet's French-style cheeses are best on their own, German likes to spread its fresh, creamy goat cheese on toast and top it with pickled peppers, like Mama Lil's sweet hot peppers (mamalils.com).

Matt Neal had never made ratatouille before he opened Neal's Deli. He took the recipe from his father, the legendary Southern chef Bill Neal, and used it as the basis for his own version. Neal cooks the key ingredients—eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and onion—separately. "That way, I can make sure each vegetable cooks exactly how I want it; plus they won't steam in a big group all together," he says. "Customers request this sandwich all summer long, but we wait until the ingredients are available at the farmers' market before we serve it."

Meaty mushrooms are enhanced by sweet caramelized onions and just enough tangy melted goat cheese in this delicious year-round pasta.

Mussel and tomato juice and celery seeds make a delicious broth to accompany steamed mussels. Look for farmed mussels; they're clean, so you'll only have to scrub them briefly.