Baked Goat Cheese, Tomato, and Olive Spread Recipe

I went to a book-signing event at a small bookstore in Madison, CT this past week and had the opportunity to meet and listen to cookbook author Makenna Held as she talked about her new cookbook, Mostly French, and other ventures she’s pursuing. And since I bought the cookbook, I had to try a new recipe. It was so good, I wanted to share it with all of you.

Makenna has an interesting story. A few years back she had the opportunity to buy Julia Child’s old summer home in the south of France. Once purchased, she founded The Courageous Cooking School and began teaching classes in Julia’s former home and kitchen (La Peetch for short and La Pitchoune as it’s formerly known). In addition to being the author of a new cookbook, she founded a cooking school, is a classically trained chef, founded a recipe site called RecipeKick, is the star of the cooking show La Pitchune: Cooking in France, produced by Magnolia Network and streaming on Magnolia Network, MAX, Hulu and others. And if that’s not impressive enough, she has a restaurant scheduled to open later this summer in Provence. 

The Courageous Cooking School focuses on the method of no-recipe cooking. So what is the founder of a no-recipe cooking school doing with a cookbook and a recipe site full of recipes and classes? She’ll tell you straight-up that she’s not anti-recipe. Recipes help you build a foundation in cooking. But, she does believe that with a foundational understanding of cooking, ingredients, and spices, you can make some recipes better (at least to your liking) and create some masterpieces of your own. 

So if you’re looking for a fun little feast of your own, or need an appetizer for your next dinner party, here is the one I tried and loved. 

Baked goat cheese, tomato, and olive spread

This is a pretty easy appetizer perfect for serving at your next dinner party or taking as an appetizer when heading over to your friend’s dinner party.

The ingredients

• Shallots
• Garlic
• Cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)
• Dried thyme
• Dried basil
• Lemon
• Kalamata olives
• Chèvre (I used goat cheese from Trader Joe’s)
• Sea salt, black pepper
• Baguette (for crostini)

Note: Buying into the idea of no-recipe cooking, I confess that I used dried herbs de Provence as a substitute for the dried thyme and basil and added fresh basil leaves once the dish had finished baking.

Instructions for creamy goat cheese, tomato, and olive spread

For the crostini (or little toasts):

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Slice your bread into thin baguette slices and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
3. Drizzle all the slices with olive oil, sprinkle sea salt, and place them in the oven until they are golden brown on top.
4. Remove them from the oven and let them cool.

For the herbed goat cheese, tomato, and olive spread

1. Add a glug (Makenna’s term) of olive oil to a Dutch oven or casserole pan and set the heat to medium.
2. Add the minced shallots and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).
3. Add the grated garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the whole cherry tomatoes, dried herbs, and the juice from the lemon and cook for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes have burst, the juices are cooking, and you have a jammy mixture.
5. Fold in the olives and remove from the heat.
6. Nestle the goat cheese into the center of the pan, sprinkle some dried herbs on top, and place uncovered in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the goat cheese is bubbling.
7. Remove from the oven, add some fresh basil leaves (or other fresh herbs) on top, and place the pan on a pot holder in the center of the table.
8. Serve with a large spoon and the crostini and enjoy!

A Giveaway

For a chance to win a copy of Mostly French and a set of four vintage French porelain ramekins from Our French Finds (formerly Shop Most Lovely Things), make sure you are follwing me on Instagram! Tag a few friends, each tag is an entry and the winner will be announed on Monday on @most_lovely_things.

Café core is trending!

First it was cottage core, and now it seems café core is having its own moment. You can read more about it in this article on the Redfin blog by Ashley Cotter. personally, I love the idea of café core. I mean the idea of your favorite coffee shop vibes, but at home! Indoors, think a dedicated coffee bar. And an outdoor coffee shop vibe means a café table and chairs and maybe an umbrella!

A Bouclé watering can

I love when a home decor object has multiple uses. Like this bouclé stoneware watering can from Terrain. Sure, you can water your plants with it, or use it for some flowers, or as a pitcher for water. The texture is just like it sounds…bouclé. It’s so pretty with a smooth stoneware on the inside for easy cleaning.

Let’s see what interesting things Mary Ann and Cindy found this week!

Classic Casual Home

You can read Mary Ann’s Sunday favorites post here.

Cindy Hattersley Design

You can read Cindy’s Sunday favorites here.

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