Marinated Cheese with Herb and Garlic Infused Olive Oil

Here's a fantastic party appetizer that doesn't require a lot of time or effort. A wheel of rich creamy marinated cheese bathed in aromatic herb and garlic-infused olive oil, ready to be devoured with crusty bread.

A New Favorite Cheese Appetizer

Every party needs cheese! If you follow Panning The Globe, you know how much I love and recommend this goat cheese appetizer for any and every occasion. Well now I have a new exciting cheese appetizer for my repertoire and yours!

This marinated cheese is a real crowd-pleaser. Combining the rich, creamy cheese with the flavor-packed olive oil creates the perfect balance of textures and tastes – the soft, spreadable cheese is ideal for slathering on crusty bread, while the zesty olive oil is perfect for dipping. It’s a win-win!

What you need for marinated cheese

Choose a wheel of soft aged cheese such as La Tur (pictured below) or soft goat cheese such as Bonne Bouche or Laura Chenel. (See the recipe card notes for more cheese suggestions.)

Here's what you need to make the herb and garlic infused olive oil:

• Garlic - unpeeled cloves
• Dried whole spices: allspice berries, coriander seeds, a star anise pod and bay leaves
• Dried arbol chili pepper or substitute crushed red pepper flakes
• Orange peel - use a vegetable peeler to get long, wide strips

A walk-through of the recipe with photos

Place the wheel of cheese in the center of the dish you'll use to serve it, and let it come to room temperature and soften while you prepare the infused olive oil.

Lightly crush the garlic cloves with a rolling pin or under the flat side of a chef's knife, just enough to loosen the skins. But don't peel the skins off. Lightly crush or roughly chop the allspice berries and corianders seeds.

Add the garlic and crushed spices to a small 1-quart lidded casserole, along with the olive oil, bay leaves, chili, star anise and one strip of the orange peel.

Cover the casserole and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the garlic is golden. Remove the casserole from the oven and let the oil cool.

How to serve

There's not much instruction needed - it's so simple. When you're ready to serve, pour the seasoned oil over the softened cheese, letting some of the oil and spices drizzle onto the serving plate.

Set the marinated cheese out where your guests can gather around. Place a basket of toasted crusty bread nearby and encourage everyone to dig in!

This easy marinated cheese appetizer recipe is perfect for any occasion, from a casual gathering of friends to a fancy New Year's Eve party. If you try this recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!

Recipe

Marinated Cheese with Herb and Garlic Infused Olive Oil

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Lisa Goldfinger
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 Servings 1x

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Description

This is a fantastic party appetizer that doesn't require a lot of time or effort to prepare and always wows the crowd. A wheel of rich creamy cheese bathed in aromatic herb and garlic-infused olive oil, ready to be devoured with crusty bread.

Adapted from a recipe in the cookbook Shaya, by Alon Shaya

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 8-ounce wheel of soft cheese such as aged goat or La Tur (note 1)
• 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
• ½ teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 dried Arbol chili pepper or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 star anise pod
• Two 2-inch strips of orange peel, orange part only, divided
• Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, to finish
• Toasted baguette slices or thinly-sliced fresh crusty bread, for serving

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Instructions

Equipment: Small 1-quart oven-proof covered casserole with a lid  or other small pyrex casserole with a lid or any small casserole, covered with a double layer of foil.

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Put the cheese into the chosen serving plate (a shallow bowl or rimmed plate) and leave the cheese to soften while you prepare the seasoned oil.
2. Use the flat side of a wide knife to crush the garlic cloves lightly, just to loosen their skins, and place garlic into the casserole pan.
3. Lightly crush or roughly chop the allspice and coriander, and add them to the pan with the garlic, along with the olive oil, bay leaves, chili, star anise, and one strip of the orange peel. Cover and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the garlic is golden.
4. Remove pan from oven, uncover, and add the second strip of orange peel. Leave the oil to cool, uncovered. 
5. Just before serving, pour the infused oil over the softened cheese, letting some of the oil and spices drizzle onto the plate. Sprinkle with sea salt, to taste.
6. Serve with thin slices of crusty bread and, and encourage your guests to spread the cheese on the bread and use it to soak up the delicious infused oil.

Notes

1. Choosing the cheese - Look for a wheel of soft cheese such as La Tur, Robiola Rocchetta or a Goat Brie such as Bonne Bouche or Laura Chenel.  You can also used a log of fresh goat cheese - I've tried this, with great results. Rather than leave the goat log whole, I suggest you break it up into large hunks, spread them out in the serving dish, and pour the infused oil over. 
2. Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator however our nutrition information should only be used as an approximation. This nutrition calculation does not include the bread served alongside.

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Category: Appetizer
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: Middle Eastern