A goat cheese log appetizer isn’t bound to a single season, but is particularly great for the holidays for several reasons. You’ll find this goat cheese log recipe to be an appetite opener with bold flavors. Besides being fun party food, cheese logs are a perfect way to show your pairing prowess. We start by combining tangy goat cheese with earthy sweet dried figs. We then coat the cheese in nutty, oniony hazelnut-nigella dukkah. The coating gives the log lively, interesting flavor that cuts through the richness of the cheese but also provides a textured contrast to the creaminess.
Goat Cheese Log Appetizer How-to
Dukkah (pronounced “dook-kah”) is an Egyptian spice blend featuring a robust and crunchy mix of toasted nuts, seeds, freshly ground spices, and sometimes legumes that’s traditionally eaten on bread dipped in olive oil. This seed, nut, and spice mix brings hazelnuts with earthy nigella seeds—showing off how good Golden and Mission Dried Figs are with with Middle Eastern flavors. The dukkah coats the outside of the fig goat cheese log, adding a bit of texture, crunch, and extra flavor.
The goat cheese log appetizer mixes in cream cheese for a creaminess that cuts some of the tanginess. They get combined in a food processor with garlic and pepper until fully combined.
The goat cheese log recipe really relies on time—so plan ahead. After being enfolded in plastic wrap, you’ll want to freeze the goat cheese log appetizer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours so it can firm up.
Make the dukkah by grinding the seeds to different textures—our favorite flavor is fennel and coriander finely ground with sunflower seeds, sesame, and nigella ground coarsely. Then, the hazelnuts and spices are mixed in. Stored in the refrigerator, the dukkah keeps for 3 months.
After the goat cheese log adequately firms up in the freezer, remove it and keep it on the counter for a little while so it warms up ever so slightly so that the dukkah can adhere to the log. Once coated, the log can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, stored tightly wrapped.
When you’re planning to serve the log, bring it to room temperature first. Drizzle it with olive oil to perk it up and serve—we like it with the Seeded Pumpkin + Fig Crackers.
Fig Goat Cheese Log Recipe with Hazelnut-Nigella Dukkah
Ingredients
Goat Cheese Log
- 6 ounces goat cheese
- 6 ounces cream cheese
- 1 small garlic clove , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup (6oz) Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Dried Figs , stemmed and finely chopped
Dukkah
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds , toasted
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds , toasted
- 1 1/2 TBSP raw sunflower seeds
- 1 TBSP sesame seeds , toasted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons nigella seeds
- 3 TBSP hazelnuts , toasted, skinned + chopped fine
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
For the Goat Cheese Log
- Process goat cheese, cream cheese,garlic, and pepper in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer mixture to bowl and fold in figs until evenly combined.
- Place 18 by 11-inch sheet of plastic wrap on counter with long side parallel to counter edge. Transfer cheese mixture to center of plastic and shape into log with long side parallel to counter edge(log should be about 9 inches long). Fold plastic over log and roll up. Pinch plastic at ends of log and roll on counter to form tight cylinder. Tuck ends of plastic underneath log and freeze until completely firm, 1½ to 2 hours.
For the Dukkah
- Grind fennel seeds and coriander seeds in a spice grinder until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add sunflower seeds,sesame seeds, and nigella seeds and pulse until coarsely ground, about 4 pulses; transfer to small bowl. Stir in hazelnuts, paprika, and salt. (Dukkah can be refrigerated for up to 3 months.)
- Unwrap cheese log and let sit until outside is slightly tacky to touch, about 10 minutes. Spread dukkah into even layer on large plate and roll cheese log in dukkah to evenly coat, pressing gently to adhere. (Coated cheese log can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.) Transfer to serving platter and let sit at room temperature until softened, about 1 hour. Drizzle with oil and serve.
Notes
Recipe and photo by
