Rosemary Goat Cheese Spread

Until recently, I’ve been appetizer challenged.  You would never catch me volunteering to bring the appetizer to a dinner party or casual get together.  If you’ve followed my blog for a while you’ve no doubt noticed a small handful of appetizers grace the pages of The Orange Bee.  With the addition of this fantastically delicious goat cheese spread I’m beginning to feel phlegmatic.  Someone invite me to bring the appetizers, please!

I made this spread over the weekend to serve to guests visiting from the Seattle area. The mixture of tangy goat cheese, melded with velvety cream cheese, aromatic rosemary and topped with homemade fig preserves was a well received success.  Of course my man Dan and our male guests questioned what it was before digging in, but once they savored that first bite they were all over it like bees on honey.  Unfortunately there were no other women present to enjoy this delightful first course that evening.  I did my share of enjoying and thought I should let you in on my newest appetizer recipe and my new-found bliss. I’m totally waiting for someone to invite us for dinner and ask me to bring the appetizers.

Old friends are invariably a delight as dinner guests.  Saturday night proved no different. We enjoyed good wine, good company, good food and a refreshing, cool breeze accompanied with a much-needed rain shower.  It felt like fall, it felt like old times, it felt heartwarming.  Blissful on all accounts.

Enjoy!
 Rosemary Goat Cheese Spread

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 oz. log goat cheese, softened
1 tbsp. chopped rosemary
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
3/4 cup fig preserves

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a food processor, stopping to scrape down sides frequently, until smooth.  Spoon cheese mix into a 1 1/2 cup mold lined with plastic wrap.  Cover and chill for 2 hours.

Invert on serving dish, remove plastic wrap.  Spoon fig preserves over cheese, garnish with a sprig of rosemary.  Serve with crackers.