Happy Friday!
First of all, I have to say that I’m so glad you all love chocolate cake as much as I do. Not that I suspected otherwise… but, you know, I like bonding with you over cake. It’s kind of like a girls’ night, you know? We bond as we chat and eat chocolate together. My favorite.
Yesterday the phrase “I love you like a fat kid loves cake” popped into my head. Actually, I heard a wedding ceremony (on TV, thank goodness, not real life) where the bride included that phrase in her vows! Is it just me, or is that a little weird and… insensitive? Also, it implies that the speaker does not love cake, which I would hope to be false. Especially given the cost of wedding cakes. If you are gonna pay for a wedding cake, you better freaking LOVE that cake.
Anyway, let it be known that I love cake. Whatever that makes me, so be it!
But we are not here to talk about cake. We’re here to talk about goat cheese. Remember the time I put goat cheese on top of cake? That was awesome, and I think I’ve mentioned it in every post since. But I digress. Goat cheese. Focus.
I got the idea for this honey apricot goat cheese spread at our winter farmer’s market, which I ironically went to for the first time last weekend… when it was no longer winter. At least I made it! The winter market is more geared toward stands run by local bakeries, chocolate makers, etc., and less towards the fresh fruits and veggies. Can’t say I minded! Nate and I probably enjoyed more than our fair share of samples as we made our way around.
This apricot honey goat cheese spread was probably our favorite find. After sampling extensively at a local cheesemaker’s stand, we took home a tiny tub of this cheese. It was sweet but still had some of that nice goat cheese tang, and tasted awesome on crackers. I quickly realized there were only three ingredients, and blended up another batch for us to enjoy later! It didn’t go to waste, either.
Speaking of crackers, have you tried these 34 Degrees ones?
I’m not working with 34 Degrees – they definitely don’t know I exist – but I love these crackers. Or “savory crisps” as they’re called on the package, which is actually pretty accurate. They’re super thin, wafer-like crackers and they’re deliciously crispy. They are pretty amazing with soft cheeses!
A jar of this cheese spread would make a great party appetizer or hostess gift. And it’s extremely easy to whip up – the only kind of appetizer to serve at a party, in my opinion! Just mash the goat cheese, honey and apricot jam together with the back of a fork, or pulse a few times in your food processor. Using a fork will get you a chunkier, spreadable texture, while the food processor will make it much drippier. I personally prefer the stiffer version made by hand, but if you wanted to make a big batch, the food processor would definitely be easier. Speaking of which, goat cheese looks like much more volume in the little logs its sold in than when it’s made into a spread like this. The recipe below makes less than half a cup! I definitely recommend doubling the recipe if you’re serving a larger group.
Grab some crackers and go to town!
- 6 oz goat cheese
- 2 Tbsp apricot jam
- 1 Tbsp honey
- In a bowl, mash all ingredients together with the back of a fork. (Alternatively, they can be pulsed together in a food processor. The texture will be much drippier if using a food processor.)
- Serve with crackers and enjoy!
So simply! But looks delicious :)
I seriously need to start doing funky fresh things with goat cheese. I love the stuff and never think to do anything other than put it in my mouth, but this apricot and honey idea sounds fabulous! Also, those crackers? We sold them at the wine tasting room I used to work at along with a variety of cheeses and they’re the BOMB! They’re the perfect little crunch and don’t have over-powering flavor so you can still taste what you put on them. Love this, lady!
P.S. I love you like a fat kid loves cake
My cousin hates cake, so they actually had wedding pie at their reception (and a dessert buffet, mmmmm). This spread sounds delicious! Good thing it makes a small portion so I won’t feel bad when I eat it all myself ;-)
Oh my god, speaking of cake, cake tasting has been my favorite part of wedding planning so far. Chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling and chocolate ganache…HEAVEN. Though we did end up going with alternating chocolate and vanilla layers to dial the chocolate back to a normal person level.
I agree with Julia…I never think to do anything with goat cheese apart from eating it, sometimes spread on apples or other fruit. This looks soooo good, though :)
How did I miss this post? This spread sounds awesome! We have some neighbors that make their own goat cheese and I think this spread is in my near future. Thanks again for the inspiration for the lemon bites!!! Taylor was equally blown away which means they were a home run!
This looks dreamy, I love goat cheese. Yum!
This looks lovely. And what a good idea to gift it to a hostess!
This looks amazing! I am interested in preparing containers for gifts as you mention. How long do you think it will keep once combined and packaged? I want to alert the gift recipient! Thanks so much!
Hey Stacey, I think it’s best to eat it within a week. Hope everyone loves the gifts!
I made this for a party this past weekend. It is wonderful. I think it will rank as my best new recipe of the year.
So glad you enjoyed it, Marsha!
used your recipe as a starting point for a Rose Bowl party. Added a handful of dried apricots spread it on a dish and sprinkled slivered almonds on top. Wish I had more of a biscuit like cracker instead of the “grainy” ones I had already bought.