When I was younger, my sisters I and would always tease my dad about his love of stinky cheese. I'm not sure of the specific variety he favored, but every night he sat in his recliner with a small paring knife and a block of hard white cheese and shaved off thin slices. He brought the sharp knife up to his mouth and ate the cheese off the blade. We all held our noses and acted disgusted over his habit and rejected his offer to let us taste his fromage.
Like my father's love of fine writing instruments and organization systems, I am now a stinky cheese convert. In fact, the stinkier the better. Give me an aged gouda with crunchy crystals inside and I'm in heaven. I melt over Jarlsberg. Mascarpone, provolone, parmigiano, Manchego, ricotta, cheddar, blue, brie, Gruyere, I love you all. My very favorite way to eat cheese is to take a simple goat cheese (and I love it when my chevre still tastes like the goat-nice and funky), pair it with roasted garlic and slather them both on a toasted baguette slice.
While goat cheese can be pretty spendy, there aren't many things cheaper than garlic heads at the grocery store. Even though I go through a lot of garlic in my home, I don't like to buy more than five or six heads at a time. I select them carefully from the bin at the grocery, rejecting ones with moldy or soft cloves.
When I roast a batch of garlic, I take six heads and slice off the top fifth on the pointy end. Place the heads in a glass baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and cover snugly with foil. Roast at 350° for 45-60 minutes. I like to see a dark brown on the outer cloves, and a more golden brown toward the center. The cloves have shrunk away from the papery skin, which makes them easily accessible with a thin paring knife. Just try and resist eating some of it right away. All of the sharp bite of garlic is gone, and you're left with a rich, nutty flavor. It spreads like peanut butter.
For the baguette toast, head over to Sam's Club's bakery. Here in the Twin Cities, you can get two nice sized French Bread loaves for $2.54. It's a bargain, it's fresh and it's delicious. Cut the bread into 1/4 inch slices and spread butter or olive oil on top of each piece. Arrange the bread on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 until browned.
You can refrigerate the garlic for up to a week, or throw the golden goodness into ziploc bags and freeze. There is no end to the uses for roasted garlic. Mashed potatoes, soup, guacamole, blended into butter, tossed with vegetables or pasta, atop a steak with clarified butter...etc.
For a holiday appetizer, pair this with a Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling or Syrah. It doesn't get any simpler, or any tastier.
