For a posh treat: Endive "spoons" with lemon-herb goat cheese

Posted by Dana McMahan on February 11, 2008

Sometimes chips out of a bag and jarred dip will cut it (ok, so in my house that’s not true). But sometimes you want a posh-looking bite that tastes divine and will wow your guests. For my mom’s 50th birthday recently we prepared a gourmet (if I say so myself) dinner party for my parents and a few of their friends. I wanted an amuse-gueule (a tiny bite-sized morsel served before the hors d'œuvre) that would set the pace for the rest of the dinner. My frequent muse Epicurious.com offered up these darling endive "spoons" with lemon-herb goat cheese that perfectly fit the bill. We made them a couple weeks before the party just to taste test and loved the crisp, cool endive with the rich lemon-bright cheese.

We followed the recipe pretty closely – here’s my only slightly modified version.

1 pound soft fresh goat cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 generous teaspoons grated lemon peel
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
8 long slender heads of Belgian endive
Extra ¼ to ½ inch long chive snips
18 grape tomatoes, cut crosswise into very thin slices (for garnish)

Make the cheese:
Blend the goat cheese, olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and lemon peel in a food processor just until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in chopped cilantro and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cold (you can make it up to a day ahead and keep it in the refrigerator). Transfer cheese mixture to pastry bag fitted with small plain tip -- or a Ziploc bag with a snipped corner if your kitchen, like mine, doesn’t boast a pastry bag.

Prepare the leaves
Cut off and discard root ends of endive. Separate leaves and toss with remaining tablespoon lemon juice in large bowl to coat. Arrange sliced endive on large platter.

Assemble
Pipe or spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese mixture at wide end of each endive leaf. Place 2 chive snips in a v-shape in the cheese and three teeny tomato slices next to the cheese.

Present and smile modestly at the oohs and ahhs.

TAGS: Amusegueule, Endive, Goat Cheese, Party Food
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