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Marinated English Goat’s Cheese with Garlic, Stem Ginger and Herbs
Marinated English Goat’s Cheese with Garlic, Stem Ginger and Herbs |
Opies Stem Ginger ~ My Favourite! |
Friday 22nd July 2011
A Tapas platter that we enjoyed one evening in St Jean de Luz |
One restaurant that we absolutely loved, was in St Jean de Luz and right next to the pretty little fishing harbour. The tapas platter there was gorgeous ~ two types of fresh Chorizo, little squares of Tortilla, Calamari in breadcrumbs, Ham Croquets, Serrano Ham, Cornichons and local pickled Chilli Peppers, along with bread and butter, oh yes, and chips/fries too! It was just divine sitting outside at 9pm eating in daylight and with the sun still warm on our backs.
Our Tapas Platter |
St Jean de Luz is still an active fishing port and the daily catch is tuna and sardines in the main……..we ate grilled sardines one evening as a snack before our main meal~ they were tiny but so sweet ~ and lovely to think that they had only be caught hours beforehand, and not days as is the norm in some supermarkets now.
The Basque Fishing Post of St Jean de Luz in South France |
Another daily “Must Have” was a pitcher of Sangria with our meal ~ they make extremely good sangria in the Basque country and it went down a treat before we plunged into the more serious business of sampling the local wine!
A Pitcher of delicious Sangria! |
We were sad to leave this unique and beautiful part of France, but we will be back ~ maybe out of season when the crowds are not so bad, it really was very crowded and a bit of a nightmare to park the car sometimes! The serenity of the seascape and the pretty little harbour more than made up for that though, once we had managed to battle our way there!
After the rain ~ a serene seascape in St Jean de Luz in South France |
The beach at St Jean de Luz |
On to my love of ginger now and my daily recipe ~ I DO LOVE stem ginger and the best around, in my humble opinion, is Opies. I use it throughout the year for puddings, desserts, biscuits, scones, shortbread, cakes and especially in my “signature” dish of Marinated English Goat’s Cheese with Garlic, Stem Ginger and Herbs ~ I don’t know how many times I have been asked for this recipe and it is always a huge hit at buffets, lunches, parties and all types of gatherings. This is a recipe that was devised by me and published in Country Kitchen magazine to promote National Garlic Day in April 2009; it is not just the use of garlic that makes this cheese dish so amazing, but also the addition of stem ginger, an unlikely partner with goat’s cheese but trust me it works like a dream.
Marinated English Goat’s Cheese with Garlic, Stem Ginger and Herbs |
Marinated English Goat’s Cheese with Garlic, Stem Ginger and Herbs |
Ingredients:
250g fresh, soft English goats cheese, a log is best
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon syrup from stem ginger
1 tablespoon mixed peppercorns: pink, green, black and white
4 cloves garlic, minced – or 2 stems of wild garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon preserved stem ginger in syrup, minced
1 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped – such as basil, parsley, thyme
Grated orange zest 1 orange
Method:
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