Here is one of the many recipes that Justin and I served at our birthday BBQ bash. An easy and delicious summer dessert (or very creative party hors d’oeuvre to show off)! Who knew that strawberries and goat cheese were so amazing together?! To me, this dish tastes just like summer.
Roasted Strawberry and Goat Cheese Squares
Yield 12 servings
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 16 ounce strawberries, washed and hulled
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- dash black pepper
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 ounce goat cheese, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 12 leaves fresh basil
Instructions
- Set the pastry out so that it comes to room temperature, about 40 minutes before you're going to use it.
- Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut out the strawberry tops and cut each one in half. Quarter the one that seem really big.
- In a medium bowl, combine the maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, olive oil. and salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of honey in and whisk it all together.
- Add the strawberries to the bowl and toss them around until they're covered in the sauce.
- Place the strawberries on the baking sheet and roast them until they've softened and the juices thicken, about 40 minutes.
- While the berries are in the oven, mix the goat cheese, lemon zest, and remaining tablespoon of honey and then set it all aside.
- Lightly flour your counter and roll out the pastry dough, then cut it into 12 3-inch squares. (To double the amount to be served, cut each square in half diagonally, forming 24 triangles.)
- Place each square on the baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Gently press an outline of a small square on the inside of each 3-inch square.
- Place a small dollop of the goat cheese mixture inside each little scored square.
- Bake the pastries for 15 to 20 minutes until they'r elightly golden in color.
- Let them cool for about 20 minutes, then place a small basil leave on the center of each square and top each one with a roasted strawberries and some syrup. (I sprinkled all of mine with dried basil instead.)
- Serve these warm or at room-temperature.