Pesto Terrine

With Julie Geary

According to Julie Geary of Classic Caterers, people get tired of seeing slices of cheddar and other cheeses laid out on a platter. This is a perfect cheese alternative for your party or entertaining, and you can combine all of the ingredients in several minutes. You can also make this a day or two ahead and keep in your refrigerator.

This Mediterranean style dish is a little healthier than many other appetizers. Goat cheese, cream cheese, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes are layered into a bowl. Julie shows you a simple technique for getting it onto a plate for a perfect presentation. It is a wonderful appetizer for 20 to 25 people if it is used along with several others.

To prepare, mix the goat and cream cheese together with sea salt and black pepper. (2/3 goat cheese to 1/3 cream cheese) Line a small bowl with saran or plastic wrap and then coat the inside bottom of the bowl with pesto and a few sun dried tomatoes. Layer the cheese blend into the bowl and repeat until the bowl is filled. When the bowl is filled wrap the rest of the plastic wrap over the top of the bowl and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. Invert a serving plate and flip over, removing the plastic wrap with the bowl and you will have a cheese dip ready to serve with thin slices of semolina bread or crackers of your choice.

Ingredients

6 ounces goat cheese
3 ounces cream cheese
Sea salt to taste
Pepper to taste
4 ounces pesto
6 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
1 loaf Semolina bread (serving suggestion)

Instructions

1. Using a hand mixer, combine goat cheese, cream cheese, sea salt and pepper together into a creamy mixture.
2. Place plastic wrap into small bowl so that it extends out over the sides of the bowl to the counter top.
3. Spoon some of the cheese mixture until it fills the bottom of the bowl.
4. Layer some of the pesto and then sprinkle some of the sun-dried tomatoes over that.
5. Repeat layering the cheese mixture, the pesto and the sun-dried tomatoes until the bowl is filled to the top.
6. Wrap the plastic wrap up and place in the refrigerator for at least one-half hour.
7. Remove from the refrigerator, unwrap plastic wrap, and place serving plate (serving side down) on top of the bowl.
8. Holding the serving plate carefully in one of your palms of the hand and the bowl in the other, quickly turn the plate so that the bowl is now upside down on the plate.
9. Remove bowl by tugging on the plastic wrap and the mixture should form a mold in the shape of the upside down bowl.
10. Slice a loaf of Semolina bread and serve either cold or room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of Julie Geary, Classic Cooks Catering, 2010.

Owner and Chef, Classic Cooks Catering

Classic Cooks has been entertaining since 1980 all over the North Shore and Boston area.  They catered the premier of the "Perfect Storm" movie for Warner Brothers for 2,000 guests.

The company was nationally televised doing a New England Clambake for Bobby Flay's Food Nation on the Food Channel.