Goat Cheese Facts : Plus Jewelled Mushroom Salad & Goat Cheese

Have you tried goats cheese? It has been made for thousands of years, and was probably one of the earliest made dairy products. Goat milk is often consumed by young children, the elderly, those who are ill, or have a low tolerance to cow's milk. Goat milk is more similar to human milk than that of the cow, although there is large variation among breeds in both animals. Although the West has popularized the cow, goat milk and goat cheese are preferred dairy products in much of the rest of the world.

You do see it more and more in shops and supermarkets. Cheeses are made from goats’ milk in every country where the animals are farmed, but usually this is on a small, domestic scale. France produces by far the largest range of commercial examples, from young, soft cheeses suitable for use in desserts to tangy, aged varieties that can be grated like Parmesan.

In recent years, thanks to an increasing taste for goats’ milk products, many British versions have come onto the market – they are particularly common in Wales. The younger cheeses may be flavoured with herbs, pepper or fruit and spread like pâté, and older hard cheeses can be eaten in much the same way as Cheddar. Some people who have an intolerance to cows’ milk may find goats’ milk cheeses easier to digest.

Buyer's guide:
Goats’ cheeses should always be white on the inside, with none of the yellowness common to cows’ milk cheeses. If you’re worried about the pungent flavour that some goats’ cheeses can have, look for young, soft, creamy curd cheeses instead. Due to the number of varieties, goats’ cheese is available year-round, but some, such as Banon from South East France, are best in the summer.

More information about goat cheese can be found here and here

Now onto the recipe suggestion. It's a 'Jewelled Mushroom Salad', and combines seared mushrooms and pine nuts with a lovely goats cheese salad. It makes for a very tasty dinner party starter, or could even be eaten as a lunch dish...

Ingredients:
Serves Four
5.0g carbohydrate per serving
10 g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
250 g pkt chestnut mushrooms, sliced
500 g flat mushrooms, sliced
250 g Pomodorino tomatoes, halved
100 g (Somerset) goats' cheese, diced
100 g watercress, spinach and rocket salad
100 g young leaf spinach
25 g toasted pine nuts, to serve

Method:
1. Make the dressing: mix all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl, reserving the zest and juice of ½ lemon. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
2. In a large frying pan, heat the butter and olive oil. Add the mushrooms and stir well to coat. Sauté for about 5-8 minutes or until tender.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and goats’ cheese, and warm through for 1-2 minutes. Add the reserved lemon juice and zest. Put the salad leaves in a large serving bowl, then tip the mushroom, tomato and cheese mixture over the top. Add the dressing and toss everything together. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and serve immediately.

Now that's tasty!

Recipe idea from here

All the best Jan