Pistachio-Crusted Creamy Goat Cheese Round
Delectably warm and creamy, serve this on your favorite platter, surrounded with bagel chips or small toasts, which you can buy already prepared at the supermarket.
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One 4- to 6-ounce log fresh white goat cheese (see Tip)
2 tablespoons finely crushed unsalted pistachio nuts
1 tablespoon finely crushed prepared garlic- and herb-flavored dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Sprig of fresh rosemary for garnish
Preheat the broiler.
Form the cheese log into a flattened round, about 4 inches in diameter and ½ inch thick. Transfer to an oven-proof plate or shallow bowl.
Combine the nuts, bread crumbs, and olive oil in a small bowl. Spread over the cheese round and press gently.
Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat source for about 1 ½ minutes, or until the coating is lightly browned and the cheese is bubbly around the edges.
Garnish and serve warm. Provide small knives for spreading.
Advance preparation
The cheese round can be assembled with the nut mixture early in the day; cover and refrigerate. Broil just before serving.
Paulette Mitchell, a culinary instructor, television personality, spokesperson, freelance food writer, and the award-winning author of 13 cookbooks, is known internationally for her quick-to-prepare recipes with gourmet flair. Paulette's most recently published cookbook is "The Complete 15-Minute Gourmet: Creative Cuisine Made Fast and Fresh." She is also the author of "A Beautiful Bowl of Soup" and "The Spirited Vegetarian," which was voted "Best Book in the World on Cooking with Wine" at the 2005 Gourmand World Media Awards. Paulette says that international travel is her favorite source of culinary inspiration. 
