C'est la Vie Cuisine

Bonjour my friends,

This week’s recipe is very easy and quick to make, and of course, delicious. Perfect for a week night dinner: The Goat Cheese Tartine.

Where I grew up, one of the neighbors on my street had goats (“Chèvre” in French). I must have been 7 or 8, but I remember going there with my friend and petting all the goats especially the babies. I don’t know why, but we thought it was fun to try and lift them (we probably didn’t weigh much more than the goats did). So we picked up the babies and then increased the size of the goat we would try to carry. One of the many games you can play while growing up in the country side.

I absolutely LOVE goat cheese. Well, let me clarify that: I absolutely LOVE cheese, so of course, goat cheese (fromage de Chèvre) falls in that category. For this recipe, I buy what it’s called “crottins”, round shaped fresh goat cheese. Funny anecdote about that word: “Crottin” actually means dung (don’t ask me why).

The next main ingredient in this recipe is bread. You can pick whichever bread you prefer as long as it is a big loaf of bread. Of course, a fresh loaf from your French bakery would be ideal but again, not available around the corner where I’m currently located.

You can serve this dish with a salad. Everyone loves my salad dressing and it’s the easiest thing to make. One spoon of mustard, salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Voila!

What I love about this recipe is how “fluffy” the goat cheese becomes after spending 10 min in the oven. It just melts in your mouth and with the crème fraiche on the warm bread, which makes it one of my guilty pleasures (I have quite a few when it comes to food).

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For 2 persons:

• 1 goat cheese crottin (approximately 3.5 oz.)
• 2 thick slices of bread (from bread loaf)
• Crème Fraiche
• A hint of rosemary
• Salt and Pepper

Spread the crème fraiche on slices of bread. Cut goat cheese in half in its length. Place the goat cheese in the middle of the slices. Add a hint of rosemary, salt and pepper. Place on a baking pan, and cook at 350° F for 10 to 15 min.

Serve with a salad.

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Secret Ingredient: Fresh Goat Cheese of course

Radio Station: Mumford and Sons. They do remind me of the country side and it doesn’t hurt that they just came out with their new album which I really like.

Movie to watch after dinner: La Chèvre from Francis Veber (1981). One of those 80’s French movies that has you laughing from start to finish (if you have the same twisted humor as mine).

So Enjoy, Bon Appétit and C’est la Vie!