Bacon Pesto Goat Cheese on Toasted Baguette

 This recipe I am about to share with you, is so wonderfully flavourful that it will become a must-have at any dinner-party you go to. This lovely design works well both as a party snack and as a delectable appetizer. Either way, it will wow anyone in the crowd. The adjectives I would use to describe this treat are salty, tangy, creamy, sharp, herbaceous, peppery, garlicky and satisfyingly crunchy.

Recipe:

·         Half a baguette (or your choice of bread) sliced

·         1 pack of goat cheese (plain, pepper or herbed)

·         1 jar of Pesto

·         ¾ cup of roughly chopped spinach

·         ½ cup of shredded parmesan cheese

·         ½ pack of bacon

·         Pinch of salt

·         1 tsp of ground pepper

Instructions:

I would say the prep time for this recipe takes approximately 30 minutes. The cooking time however takes about 10 minutes for toasting the bread plus 20 minutes for carefully frying the bacon. In total, you will want to make sure you set aside an hour to prepare this appetizer. I however was very fortunate to have my loving husband to help me. We were both tremendously hungry and figured if we both cooked we could eat even sooner.

First things first! Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Next, place your sliced bread evenly spaced out on the tray. Then, grab your jar of pesto and spread about 2 teaspoons on each slice of bread if you are using baguette. Now, if you absolutely love pesto (like me) you can most certainly apply more to the slices. However, if you do not want this ingredient to be too overpowering, then I would recommend only using 2 tsp per slice of bread.

Second, sprinkle your parmesan cheese onto each slice of bread. Create a magical cascade of cheese, allowing it to blanket itself in the most delicate way over the slices. Then once your oven is fully heated, you can throw the tray in for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted. In my opinion, whenever I see parmesan cheese in its shredded form, it reminds me of gorgeous strands of silk, used to create a precious kimono. Priceless…. But actually not priceless because both parmesan cheese and silk are very expensive items. Lushes, yet jaw-droppingly steep ($$$). And yes I know droppingly isn’t a word but I think it is fun!

Third step, have a pan heating on the stove top at medium heat. Place your slices of bacon in the pan and cook until they are nice and crispy. But be careful of the splatter! I’ll let you all in on a little secret… I am a HUGE wimp when it comes to splattering juices. I have a special screen that sits on top of my sizzling pan to avoid the oily fat from spraying all over myself and my counter top. And when it comes to flipping the bacon, I wear oven mitts and have extra-long salad tongs that I use to turn the meat. This way my hands and arms are well protected. I know life is pain but…sometimes I like to do my best to avoid it.

Okay! While your bacon is frying and your toasts are toasting, you can now prepare the goat cheese spread. Grab a bowl and throw in the goat cheese. Add your chopped spinach and seasonings. Mix these ingredients together and there you have it. An easy and delicious goat cheese spread. NOTE: if you are not a fan of leafy greens you can skip adding in the spinach. I think it is a nice way to freshen up the dish and make you feel like you are being a little healthy. Got to have something balance out all that dairy and fatty oils, am I right? Right!

Once your toast is done and bacon has been perfectly cooked and sliced, now you can arrange the plate into an artistic masterpiece. First place the toasted slices on the plate, then spread the goat cheese mixture on each piece of bread. Next, delicately arrange the bacon, allowing about two to three pieces per slice. Now one creative idea I like to use is taking some of the delicious, crunchy bits of parmesan cheese that are stuck to the aluminum foil and placing it on top of the toasted slices. Now it looks like your little baguettes have a regal crown. A food that is indeed fit for a king and queen.

Taste Test:

One word to describe this dish? Herbaceous. But not overly herbaceous. All of the ingredients work so well together. You have the perfect salty and savouriness from the bacon and parmesan, accompanied by the sharp, tanginess of the goat cheese. The pesto creates this beautiful flavour of garlic, basil and pine nuts. And that is the beauty of pesto, it makes an easy marinade, a tremendous sauce, and a perfect dressing for any dish. And you do not need to use any olive oil for toasting your bread because there is already enough oil in the pesto. Furthermore, you should be able to detect the hint of pepper. If you are a big pepper fan like me, then you will detect more of a hint. But to me that’s a good thing. I love spices, I love heat and I love flavours that make your tongue go POW! And when you pair pepper with fresh herbs it creates a breath taking marriage.

Now for the texture description. The crunch factor in this appetizer is astounding. If you are someone that loves the feel and sound of crunchy food then this dish is for you. However, the creamy, goat cheese filling and well cooked bacon help to “soften” the blow a little bit. When I want a recipe that has all the appealing textures you can think of, this treat takes the win. Not only do you have the crunch but the gooey, melt in your mouth goat cheese adds the umami feature when it comes to describing how it feels. That is the other amazing thing about food. Not only does it taste good, but the satisfaction that you can receive from the sensational qualities are worth writing stories (or blogs) about.

In general, this is a recipe I would highly recommend for a party or even just for you and your partner to enjoy on a romantic evening. Not only do the flavours satisfy your palette, but the textures will enlighten your senses as well. If you are looking for a rich, creamy, sharp, salty and herbaceous dish that has a dreamlike crunch to it, then this is the treat for you.

Enjoy!