Recipe for Breaded Goat Cheese with Spiced Quince Paste

Recipe for breaded goats cheese shown on a plate — © Catherine Madani

This recipe for crispy fried, breaded goats cheese is seriously tasty. It’s a perfect snack, starter, party food or main dish with a green salad. We warn you – it’s very moreish!

SERVES 4
Active time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 4 minutes

INGREDIENTS
7 oz. (200 g) quince paste
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
8 g ground Espelette or Aleppo pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice (from about ½ lemon)
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 cup (3½ oz./100 g) dried breadcrumbs
1 × 8-oz. (230-g) bûche de chèvre frais (fresh goat cheese log)
Scant ½ cup (2 oz./50 g) all-purpose flour
1 egg
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt

METHOD

Place the quince paste, vinegar, Espelette or Aleppo pepper, and lemon juice in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl.

Combine the thyme and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Cut the cheese log into 12 equal rounds and coat them lightly with flour.

Beat the egg in a bowl using a fork. Brush the cheese rounds with the egg, then gently roll them in the breadcrumb mixture to coat.

Drizzle a little olive oil into a large nonstick skillet and warm over high heat. Cook the breaded cheese slices for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden and crisp. Season with a little salt.

Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain.

Serve immediately with the quince paste.

Tip from TGLF: If you can’t get quince paste, plum or fig jelly/paste are a good substitute

Extracted from The Complete Book of Cheese: History, Techniques, Recipes, Tips by Anne-Laure Pham and Mathieu Plantive (Flammarion, 2024).