If you are in the mood for rich fall flavors from Tuscany, we have another fantastic recipe for you to try this week: Carmelized Goat Cheese with Pumpkin and Balsamic Vinegar. It is a full of rich and delicious flavors, with authentic ingredients such as the Balsamic Vinegar from Modena that we highlighted in our blog last week. If you are headed to Italy, why not join us for a hands-on cooking class at MaMa Florence Cooking School to learn to make this fantastic dish together with one of our resident chefs, Michele or Danny, and other like-minded participants.

Caramelized Goat Cheese with Pumpkin and Balsamic Vinegar Recipe

4 servings

Ingredients

250 g fresh goat cheese 


300 g pumpkin, rind removed 
and cubed 


1 clove garlic, flattened, with
skin on 


1 fresh rosemary branch 


3-4 fresh thyme leaves 


Salt, as needed 


Extra virgin olive oil, as needed

50 g raw cane sugar (large grains)

Aged balsamic vinegar, as
needed 


Special kitchen equipment needed: kitchen torch used to create Crème brulée

To Make the Pumpkin Topping

Coat the bottom of a skillet with extra virgin olive oil, and when heated, add in garlic and fresh herbs and simmer until garlic is light golden brown. Add in diced pumpkin, and cook until pumpkin is softened, adjust to taste with salt.

To Prepare Goat Cheese

Dust the surface of the cheese shapes with cane sugar, and using a kitchen torch, carefully pass flame over top of cane sugar crusts to caramelize the sugar crusts. On individual serving plates, place a serving of cooked pumpkin. Rest the caramelized cheese shapes on top of each portion of pumpkin. Sprinkle tops of cheese rounds with drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar and promptly serve.