Pesto and sundried tomato cheese terrine —and gathering again
The pesto and sundried tomato cheese terrine I’m presenting today is the ultimate party appetizer. Yes, I said party! Because you feel it in the air, you see it on the streets: the summer of 2021 is going to look nothing like that of 2020. Masks are for the most part optional everywhere, but what is more important, we are going to be able to safely gather! At least those of us who are vaccinated.
And with that, parties will happen in backyards, people will gather on the streets, and potlucks will provide a reason for people to choose a great dish to bring to what will probably be the first social event where relatives and friends will be together. A reason to smile, to play, to happily sing, to laugh at jokes, to dance, to leave the isolation of the last 15 months behind.
Strolling along Palacio Real, Madrid
Alcocebre
Peñíscola, city of Pope Benedict XIII
The streets of Morella, Castellón
This showstopper appetizer, pesto and sundried tomato cheese terrine, will last the length of the party. Or not! If your guests find out at the first bite that it is the best appetizer they’ve ever had, ha ha! The combination of flavors that come from the goat cheese, the pesto sauce, the pinenuts, the sun-dried tomatoes, is an explosion in your mouth. Each bite will have more of one or the other ingredient, so every bite will be a surprise in your mouth. I dare you to eat just one, or two.
I’ve made the pesto and sundried tomato cheese terrine for many years, and it’s always a hit. Serve it with thin slices of toasted baguette, or with pita chips, like I did for today’s post.
David’s jump, Pou Clar, Onteniente
Cousins chilling
San Michelle Archangelo Church, Perugia
The Pou Clar pristine and frigid waters
Sun setting in el Taroncheral
For our family, 2021 means the year when we are going to visit with family in Spain again. Two years since last time abuela saw her grandchildren, aunts and uncles and cousins saw each other. Things have changed so much, we have changed so much, not just emotionally, but physically too. I am most amazed at how much David has grown, from the young 13-year-old that traveled to Spain and Italy and participated in a soccer camp with the 1st division Valencia CF team in 2019, to the 5 ft 10 in 15-year-old he is today. I know our relatives will be shocked when they see him.
We know the restrictions in Spain are different than those in the United States, much more strict, because of their slower vaccination rate. We don’t even know how free we’ll be to travel around the country, and which of our favorite restaurants will still be closed, or will have closed forever, after the huge impact the pandemic has had on the economy, particularly on the tourism, Spain’s most important industry and source of income. We will still go out, trying to contribute, even in a small way, to the revamping of the economy. But when that is not possible, we will be happy gathering with family at home, outdoors, wherever we can.
Social gatherings and outdoor living is a way of life in Spain, and that’s why I accompany the pesto and sundried tomato cheese terrine recipe with images of how our last summer before Covid looked like. Hopefully we will be able to re-create some of those events and gatherings, even visit some of those places, or others. Making family memories, again.
PS: for more appetizers and tapas, check on the RECIPES section of this blog, under TAPAS.
In the same group of “spreadable” party appetizers, check out dried cherry and candied pecan cheese torta, another very suitable appetizer for large gatherings.
PESTO AND SUNDRIED TOMATO CHEESE TERRINE
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 oz goat cheese
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup whipping cream
- 4 slices provolone cheese
- 1/4 cup pesto sauce recipe follows
- 8 sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cups pinenuts toasted
- Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Toasted baguette slices or pita chips
For the pesto sauce:
- 1 cup packed basil leaves
- 1 cup packed parsley
- 2 Tbs pine nuts
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 3 garlic cloves
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- About 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Make the pesto sauce:
- Liberally chop the basil and parsley leaves. Place them in a food processor and pulse until chopped, 20 seconds. Add the parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, pinenuts, salt and pepper and process until finely minced.
- With the food processor running at low speed, add the olive oil in a continuous, slow drip, until a paste forms.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the pesto sauce for the cheese terrine and freeze the remaining sauce in individual portions to use on future meals.
Make the torta:
- Line a small loaf pan with plastic wrap, with enough overhang to wrap over the top, about 3 inches all around the edges of the loaf pan.
- Mince the sun-dried tomatoes. Toast the pinenuts and coarsely chop them.
- In a medium bowl, mash the goat cheese with a fork. Add 1/4 cup of cream and mix until a creamy paste forms. If necessary, add more cream. Season with a few grinds of pepper (alternatively, use a mixer, like I did).
- Spoon about one third of the creamy cheese into the lined pan and smooth with a spatula. Spread half of the pesto sauce over the creamed cheese. Cover with two slices of provolone. Spread half of the minced sun-dried tomatoes and one third of the pinenuts (reserve the last spoonful for decorating).
- Spread another third of the creamed cheese and repeat the process for another layer of pesto, provolone, sundried tomatoes and pinenuts. Finish with the last third of creamed cheese.
- Fold the plastic over and place the pan in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.
- When ready to serve, unwrap the plastic, place a plate over the loaf pan and turn over. Unmold and gently remove the plastic. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining toasted pine nuts. Season with a few grinds of black pepper.
- Serve alongside toasted baguette slices or pita chips.
Notes
