Warm melty goat cheese topped with sweet and tart cranberry sauce. The perfect easy, flavorful and impressive way to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers.
It’s officially my favorite week of the year. I’ve made no secret that Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday, but I am equally in love with the entire weekend that follows. A four day weekend, getting out my menorah, putting up the Christmas tree (I am an equal opportunity celebrator), decorating the house, plenty of shopping for presents, and of course, eating delicious Thanksgiving leftovers all weekend long.
I love making the usual turkey sandwich, or doing crazy things with leftover stuffing and mashed potatoes, but especially when we have people in from out of town who are going to be hanging around, I like to do something unique, and something that seems a bit more thought out than the usual leftovers fare. Basically, I want to impress people (story of my life–such a people pleaser!), but I’m exhausted from cooking for 3 days straight to prepare for the big day, so I want to do it without actually having to do any work. Good thing I’m creative. 😉
For our latest episode of Drink & Dish, Nicole and I show you what to do with some of those Thanksgiving leftovers. We both ended up using cranberry sauce, so make a little extra this year so that you can make Nicole’s awesome Poinsettia Blossom to go with this goat cheese!
This dish could also be served as a Thanksgiving appetizer–in fact, Steve loved it so much that he requested I make it on Thanksgiving day.
It may seem like a strange combination, but the tangy goat cheese really is the perfect pairing for the sweet cranberry sauce–it’s like a match made in heaven! Together, they are baked just enough for the goat cheese to get soft, but not completely melted–just the right consistency to easily dip your cracker into, but solid enough to hold its form.
Warm melty goat cheese topped with sweet and tart cranberry sauce. The perfect easy, flavorful and impressive way to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers.
Ingredients
- 1 x 4oz log herb goat cheese
- Approx 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
- Crackers, chips, or bread for serving (I used gluten-free bagel chips)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325. Place goat cheese on a heat-safe dish. A rimmed plate (as seen in the photos) works best so that cranberry sauce can spill over goat cheese while staying contained on the plate. Spoon cranberry sauce over goat cheese. You may use more or less--whatever ratio you like, and depending on how much you have leftover.
- Bake until softened, but not melted, about 7-10 minutes. Serve immediately with crackers, chips or bread of your choosing. Best eaten the same day, but leftovers may be refrigerated in an airtight container and reheated for up to 5 days.
Notes
If using a jellied cranberry sauce, whisk it up first to make it easier to pour onto the goat cheese.
Psssst…still figuring out your Thanksgiving menu? This infographic is amaaaazing–a must see for anyone who loves cooking, entertaining or Thanksgiving!
