Mac N Goat Cheese Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Trim the artichokes. Using a serrated knife, cut off the top inch of each artichoke and cut off the stem to create a flat surface for the artichoke to sit on the plate. Place in a Dutch oven. Zest the Meyer lemons and set aside for the topping. Cut 2 of the lemons in half and squeeze the juice over the artichokes and place the juiced lemons in the baking dish. Add the white wine, water, 1 cup of the oil, garlic cloves, coriander, bay leaves and peppercorns.
• On a burner on high heat, bring the liquid to a boil. Cover and cook in the oven until tender (leaves are removed easily), about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool and when cool enough to handle, carefully remove the center choke (heart) and smaller leaves from 6 of the artichokes, using a spoon. Then remove and discard all the leaves in the remaining 3 artichokes. Puree the remaining 3 artichokes in a food processor or blender.
• In a small saute pan on high heat, saute the green garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the 6 artichoke hearts and saute another few minutes.. Juice 1/2 a lemon and season the artichoke hearts with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Spoon a little of the puree mixture into each of the 6 intact artichokes.
• In a medium nonreactive saucepan on medium-high heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Once it is simmering, add the pasta and stir often until pasta is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in the goat cheese, thyme, lavender, and pink peppercorns. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Adjust to desired consistency by adding water. Spoon pasta into each of the 6 artichokes on top of the artichoke puree.
• Remove the crust from the rustic loaf and place the insides in a food processor. Pulse until you get fine crumbs. Saute 2 cups of the crumbs with 3 tablespoons olive oil on medium-high heat until golden and crunchy. Let cool. Once cool, toss the bread crumbs with parsley, reserved zest and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Generously sprinkle on top of the filled artichokes.
• Place the artichokes in an oven-proof dish with a little water in the bottom and place in oven until bubbly and hot through, about 10 minutes. Toss the arugula in a sprinkle of olive oil and the juice of the remaining 1/2 of a lemon. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. To plate, make an arugula nest for the artichoke on each plate. Place a warmed artichoke in the center.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil.
• Add the macaroni and cook about 8 to 10 minutes, or until just tender, depending on the size of the pasta. Drain.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. When the butter is melted and sizzling, stir in the flour to create a paste and cook 1 minute.
• Slowly add the milk, whisking to create a smooth sauce. Let cook about 5 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the grated Parmesan and the goat cheese, whisking to create a smooth sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Use the olive oil to grease the bottom of a medium size gratin or baking dish, about 8 to 10 inches long.
• Place the drained macaroni in the dish and pour the cheese sauce on top, stirring gently to coat all the macaroni.
• In a small bowl, make the topping. Mix the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, thyme, and pepper. Spoon over the macaroni and top with the goat cheese.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the pasta is hot.

Steps:

• Cook pasta al dente and reserve 1/4 cup cooking water.
• heat oil over med heat. Add garlic and cook until golden. Stir in tomatoes, spinach and reserved pasta water and cook until heated through. Season w/salt & pepper. Stir into the pasta along w/the goat cheese. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with walnuts.