Basil cups with Goat Cheese, Lemon and Pine Nuts

 

BASIL CUPS WITH GOAT CHEESE

We have a group of women here in Southern Arizona that get together the third Wednesday of each month for wine and hot and cold appetizers.  We bring our own wine glass and a bottle of wine or an app to local businesses that host the party or one of the women who volunteers their home for that month.  Most of the events happen in Tubac Arizona where I live and anywhere from 25 to 75 women show up.  It is called Women Who Wine and it has been going strong and growing larger all the time for about 5 years or so.  I always bring an appetizer and each month I try to bring something different.  I have fresh basil growing in my garden and a grape tomato plant as well and decided to use what I had on hand to do something special and beautiful.

• Basil cups with Goat Cheese and Pine nuts
• 30 or so medium sized basil leaves  (have more on hand in case you have extra of the filling)
• 8 cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes diced or regular tomatoes - seeds removed and diced
• 6 to eight cherry or grape tomatoes for garnish - whole
• 4 oz. room temperatiure soft goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream or crème fraiche
• Zest of small lemon – reserving some for garnish
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup or more of toasted pine nuts
• Generous drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil for drizzle
• Salt and pepper

1. In a bowl – mix together room temperature goat cheese and cream or crème fraiche, lemon zest and lemon juice and s&p to taste. 
2. Pipe or spoon mixture into basil leaves and arrange on a plate with a large cluster of basil and whole tomatoes in the middle or off center
3. Loosely sprinkle chopped tomato and pine nuts all over the plate – sprinkle with lemon zest.
4. I use a plastic ketchup dispenser bottle with a pointed top and small opening to drizzle the balsamic vinegar because of the decorative effect on the plate.  I hold it over the platter and just gently drizzle a stream of the balsamic over the plate in a back and forth motion.  (See photo).   I do the same for the olive oil - use sparingly.