Goat Cheese
Goat cheese (chèvre) is a tangy, creamy cheese made from goat's milk, ranging from soft fresh logs to firm, aged wheels with a stronger bite.
How to buy
Fresh chèvre should be smooth, moist, and bright white to ivory with no yellowing, pink spots, or ammonia smell. Aged styles like crottin or bucheron develop a natural rind and a firmer paste; choose those based on how much funk and firmness you want. Pre-crumbled tubs are convenient but dry out faster than a whole log.
How to store
Wrap fresh goat cheese tightly in wax paper or its original packaging and refrigerate, using it within 1-2 weeks of opening. Aged, rinded goat cheeses keep longer, often several weeks, if wrapped in cheese paper rather than plastic pressed directly against the paste. Once crumbled or sliced, use within a few days for best texture.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Tangy, bright, and distinctly earthy or 'goaty' from the caproic and capric acids in goat's milk. Fresh chèvre is milder and cleaner; aging deepens the funk and adds a nutty, sometimes sharp edge.
- Texture
- Fresh chèvre is soft, moist, and spreadable like a thick paste. Aged versions firm up into a denser, crumblier cheese, sometimes with a chalky, drier center ringed by a creamier layer near the rind.
- Aroma
- A musky, slightly barnyard aroma that's more pronounced in aged wheels than in fresh logs.
How to prepare
- Crumbled — Broken into small pieces by hand over salads, pizzas, or grain bowls for little bursts of tang.
- Baked — Warmed in the oven until soft and lightly browned, often breaded first, for a warm salad topper.
- Spread — Softened at room temperature and spread on toast or crackers, sometimes with honey or herbs.
- Marinated — Steeped in olive oil with herbs and peppercorns to mellow the tang and add richness.
Classic dishes
American
- Beet, walnut, and goat cheese salad — Roasted beets paired with crumbled goat cheese and toasted walnuts, a bistro-salad staple.
- Herb and goat cheese crusted chicken — Chicken breast topped with a goat cheese and herb crust before baking.
- Goat cheese and arugula pizza — A white pizza topped with dollops of goat cheese, peppery arugula, and a balsamic drizzle.
- Goat cheese cheesecake — A tangier take on cheesecake using goat cheese in place of some or all of the cream cheese.
- Goat cheese and caramelized onion flatbread — Flatbread topped with sweet caramelized onions and crumbled goat cheese.
- Goat cheese-stuffed chicken breast — Chicken breast pounded thin, rolled around goat cheese and spinach, then baked or seared.
- Roasted garlic and goat cheese dip — Whipped goat cheese blended with roasted garlic for a tangy party dip.
Italian
- Goat cheese ravioli — Fresh pasta parcels filled with goat cheese, often finished in brown butter or a light tomato sauce.
- Goat cheese polenta — Creamy polenta enriched with goat cheese for extra tang and body.
- Goat cheese bruschetta — Toasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with goat cheese, tomato, and basil.
French
- Chèvre chaud (warm goat cheese salad) — Rounds of goat cheese on toasted baguette, warmed until soft and served over dressed greens.
- Goat cheese tart — A savory tart filled with a goat cheese and egg custard, often studded with herbs or leeks.
- Goat cheese omelet — A folded omelet with crumbled goat cheese melted inside, often with fresh chives.
- Crottin de Chavignol salad — A classic Loire Valley pairing of the small aged goat cheese crottin served warm over salad greens.
Mediterranean
- Goat cheese crostini with honey — Toasted bread topped with goat cheese and a drizzle of honey for a sweet-tangy appetizer.
- Bacon-wrapped goat cheese-stuffed dates — Dates stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in bacon, and baked until caramelized.
- Marinated goat cheese in olive oil — Small rounds of chèvre steeped in olive oil with garlic, herbs, and chile flake.
- Goat cheese-stuffed figs — Fresh figs halved and filled with goat cheese, often finished with a nut and honey topping.
- Goat cheese and roasted red pepper torta — Layers of goat cheese and roasted peppers or pesto pressed into a spreadable party loaf.
Spanish
- Goat cheese-stuffed piquillo peppers — Sweet roasted piquillo peppers filled with creamy goat cheese as a tapas bite.
Substitutions
- Feta Cheese — Saltier and firmer than chèvre; crumble in similar amounts but expect a brinier result.
- Cream Cheese — Much milder and less tangy; works for texture in spreads but lacks the characteristic goaty bite.