Whipped Goat Cheese With Roasted Balsamic Grapes
This whipped goat cheese with roasted grapes is a delicious appetizer, party snack, or tasty finger food. It’s sweet, salty, tangy, and full of flavours and textures! A very simple appetizer combo that takes little effort to throw together - it’s also quite versatile - you can make it as simple as you like with many variations below. It has a nice mix of savoury and sweet flavors, and crunchy and creamy textures. It also transports and stores really well and all of the components can be made ahead a few days. It’s one of those snack you can’t walk away from - you keep going back for more! Let me break it all down by telling you about each component.
Roasted Balsamic Grapes:
By roasting the grapes with balsamic vinegar, it softens them, they get really juicy on the inside, and brings out their natural sweetness. The balsamic vinegar gives it a nice mild sweet and tangy flavour too. The skin of the grapes bursts a bit in the oven and get lightly blistered and caramelized. The inside is juicy, with a jam-like consistency. I love to serve them with this whipped goat cheese but they are great on any cheeseboard and even in salads too! Rosemary Is a great substitute for the thyme if you prefer it. All you need to make them is:
- Grapes
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Thyme
- Salt & Pepper
Whipped goat cheese:
The soft goat cheese is creamy and tangy. I added some honey to the goat cheese and a little lemon zest as well. The flavours contrast beautifully with the roasted grapes. This goat cheese dip can be made ahead up to 2-3 days and can be enjoyed with either sweet, savoury topping or a combo of both. More options listed below. All you need to make it is:
- Goat cheese (make sure it’s room temperature and softened)
- Greek Yoghurt
- Lemon zest
- Honey
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Toasted garlic thyme crostini:
The quick oven-toasted baguette is golden-brown and perfectly crunchy. I like to cut the baguette slices relatively thick (about ½ inch) but feel free to slice them to your liking. I usually Simply brush them with olive oil and toast them in the oven but I thought I would kick it up a notch by adding some grated garlic and chopped thyme to the olive oil. These are optional and you can really serve this goat cheese dip with whatever you like but if you do decide to make the crostini you will not regret it. Rosemary is a great substitute for the thyme if you prefer it. All you need to make it is:
- Baguette
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Thyme
- Salt and pepper
Candied maple pecans and bacon:
This is not only an addictive snack but it’s also a great topper for your salad and also this dip. These stovetop candied pecans and bacon combine savoury bacon with crunchy pecans and sweetened with maple syrup. The ultimate sweet and and savoury combo. Making this is optional but again you won’t regret making it if you do. They can be made days in advance too. You could use store bought candied pecans and even precooked bacon bites if you like the idea of these flavours but rather not have to make it yourself. All you need or make it is:
- Pecans
- Bacon
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Maple syrup
How to whip goat cheese:
Whipping the goat cheese really helps lighten it up and make it easy to spread. It’s quite easy to do: Just make sure the goat cheese is room temperature and softened. Add it and a bit of whole milk yogurt, whole milk, cream or water to food processor and process until smooth. You could also use a hand mixer to whip it until the cheese is light and fluffy.You can also use a fork or a stiff whisk and mix it by hand. Either way works fine! If the goat cheese is still too dry after mixing, add milk, cream or water by the tablespoon to thin it out. Keep in mind that you want a consistency that’s easy to dip your crostini in!
Make ahead & Storage instructions:
- Whipped goat cheese: The whipped goat cheese can be made up to three days in advance and stored in a sealed container in the fridge.
- Roasted grapes: While I tend to serve the roasted grapes right away, you can also store them for future use up to 4 days. Just transfer to an airtight container and place in the refrigerator.If you’re preparing a cheeseboard ahead of time, roasted grapes are a great option to make ahead to serve alongside your meats and cheeses.
- For the crostini: store in airtight container up to 3 days at room temperature. You may need to pop them into the oven for a few minutes to make the surface is crispy again.
- The candied bacon and pecans: they can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
How to serve whipped goat cheese:
I like to serve it with these crisp garlicky thyme crostini but feel free to serve it with crisps or crackers, pita chips or even fresh crusty bread. I like to set everything out on a platter so you can just dip right into the dip. But I have also served these ready made - so I just load the crostini with the whipped goat cheese then add the grapes and candied bacon and pecans and serve them all ready made - whatever you prefer. It’s also fabulous to dip your veggies into as well!
Topping Variations:
- For more sweet options: I really love doing the candied bacon and pecans with this dip. They add a nice and tasty crunch. You can use store bought candied pecans and even bacon bits or use just plain toasted pecans and just fry up bacon separately if you prefer. Some other sweet variations for toppings include golden raisins, dried or fresh or roasted figs, chopped dates, dried cherries. And you can use any crunchy nut add in you like as well like pistachios, walnuts, or even toasted hazelnuts or almond would be delicious too
- For more savoury options: I love to use chopped olives like in my marinated goat cheese dip or even olive tapenade. You could do fresh tomatoes like in my creamy bruschetta dip. I also love adding caramelized onions and even some capers for a briny addition. Feel free to do a combo of any of these ingredients for a sweet and savoury combinaion.
More appetizers you will love:
- Marinated Goat Cheese Spread
- Spiced Roasted Carrots With Sumac Whipped Feta
- Greek feta cheese dip (Tirokafteri)
- Creamy Goat Cheese Bruschetta Dip
- Blistered Shishito Peppers With a Lemony Whipped Goat Cheese Dip
- Balsamic Roasted Cherry and Goat Cheese Crostini
- Greek Cheese Fondue
- Roasted Red Pepper And Feta Dip
Recipe
Ingredients
For the whipped goat cheese:
- 12 oz goat cheese log, at room temperature
- ½ cup Greek yoghurt
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest (optional)
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or water
For the crostini:
- 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
- 1 clove of garlic peeled and grated
- 1 baguette, sliced ¾ inch thick on a bias
- Salt and pepper
For the roasted balsamic grapes:
- 1 lb seedless grapes (red or green)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4-5 springs fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the candied bacon and pecans (optional):
- 250 gram package of bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 cup of pecans lightly toasted
- 2-3 tbsp of maple syrup
- 2 tbsp of brown sugar
- 2 tbsp of butter
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line 2 half baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roast the grapes: on one of the sheet pans toss the grapes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Top with the sprigs of thyme. Roast until the grapes blister, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and turn on broiler. Discard the sprigs of thyme from the grapes and carefully toss the grapes with the balsamic vinegar. Return the grapes to oven and broil until the grapes are caramelized 3-5 minutes – watch closely, as broilers vary.
- Toast Baguette: (return oven temp to 425) Meanwhile, whisk to combine the olive oil with chopped thyme, garlic a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Brush baguette slices with it and place on the other baking sheet and bake for 4-6 minutes (at 425°F), until the bread is golden-brown and crispy. Check frequently to make sure the bread does not burn. (If you have a large enough oven you can roast the grapes and baguette simultaneously - either on the same rack or baguette on the lower rack)
- For the whipped goat cheese: place all the ingredients for the whipped Goat cheese in a food processor until smooth scraping down sides of bowl.
- Serve: Transfer whipped goat cheese to shallow plate topped with the grapes and drizzle with any juices and sprinkled with my candied maple bacon pecans if using. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, thyme leaves and pepper. Enjoy!
For the stovetop candied maple bacon pecans if making:
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet set to medium heat (should take 1-2 minutes).Then stir in the maple syrup, pecans, sugar, and bacon.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly with a spatula (don’t walk away from the stove). You want the sugar to dissolve in the maple syrup & butter (this happens quickly) and for it to reduce & thicken so it’s coating the pecans.
- When the sugar mixture has reduced so it’s clinging to the pecans, remove from the heat and immediately pour the nuts onto the parchment lined sheet. Quickly spread the nuts in one even layer and separate them so they don’t stick together.
- Let the pecans cool completely (they will firm up quickly) then store in an airtight container on the counter. Consume within 3-4 days for the best taste & texture; however, if crystallization doesn’t bother you they’ll last up to two weeks.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead & Storage instructions:
- Whipped goat cheese: The whipped goat cheese can be made up to three days in advance and stored in a sealed container in the fridge.
- Roasted grapes: While I tend to serve the roasted grapes right away, you can also store them for future use up to 4 days. Just transfer to an airtight container and place in the refrigerator.If you’re preparing a cheeseboard ahead of time, roasted grapes are a great option to make ahead to serve alongside your meats and cheeses.
- For the crostini: store in airtight container up to 3 days at room temperature. You may need to pop them into the oven for a few minutes to make the surface is crispy again.
- The candied bacon and pecans: they can be made ahead and stored in and alright container for up to 3-4 days.
