Toasts with Smoked Goat Cheese

We made the smoked goat cheese from Heartland Saturday evening.  I could have eaten the whole thing the minute it came off the grill.  The aroma was amazing.  The flavor, incomparable.  But, I practiced restraint.  It was for several recipes and inhaling it would mean that I'd not have it to use in those...  Aren't those trade-offs just the worst?  One little slice of baguette each - just to taste it. 


While the goat cheese was smoking, we smoked some thick cut bacon.  Now, I've purchased double smoked bacon from Klaus' Haus - which has been written up as one of the best.  I found that bacon to be way too smoky and chewy.  So, I was anxious to try smoking my own bacon. 

The big payoff happened Sunday morning.  I limped into the kitchen knowing I had a really quick breakfast in mind.  Something that'd be filling enough that I'd not want lunch while at the office.  Or, at least I'd stick to an orange - lol.  Now, I can't tell you where I came up with the idea of toasts with radishes and cucumbers, but I saw the combo somewhere.  I thought that'd be perfect with the smoked goat cheese.  It was.  Well, so was the carnivore's delight.  I divided the baguette slices into  four parts and did two with the goat cheese, radishes and cucumbers and two with goat cheese and smoked bacon.  YUM!  That smoked bacon was incredible.  It's going into bacon infused vodka and a salad this week.  The goat cheese is going into a different salad and possibly a chicken dish.  Both are going to be staples from here on out!

Smoked Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

8 oz or 16 oz log of goat cheese
canola oil or olive oil (NOT evoo!)
disposable aluminum pan
hickory chips

Directions:

Place the goat cheese in the pan.  Rub it with the oil.  Put your hickory chips in the smoker box or make a smoker with an aluminum foil packet with holes poked in it.  Heat your grill with direct and indirect heat.  You'll want the temp to stay right around 300-325.  Once you get the first smoke, put the pan with the goat cheese on the indirect side of the grill.  Smoke for an hour.  While we were smoking the goat cheese, we smoked half a dozen slices of thick cut bacon.  Here's the end result:

This goat cheese is wonderful as it is on thin slices of baguette.  Or, use it where you'd use regular goat cheese in salads, pastas...

Toasts with Goat Cheese and Goodies

Ingredients:

baguette
smoked goat cheese
radishes
cucumber
smoked bacon

Directions:

Slice the baguette.  Toast it under the broiler just until it starts to brown.  If the goat cheese is coming out of the fridge, put some goat cheese on it and put it back under the broiler long enough to soften.  If it's coming straight from the smoker, schmear it on the baguette.  Once the goat cheese is schmeared put the toppings on.  Slice the radishes and cucumber VERY thinly.