Cécile's Chèvre on Toast

What's not to love about cheese on toast?

Are you looking for something quick and easy to make for breakfast? Lunch? A lazy dinner that doesn't involve a lot of clean up, prep time, or much of anything else? Or an appetizer for a party you're throwing to prove what a sophisticated, high class adult you are?

Look no further. These little cheese toasts look elegant and are simple enough for even the most inexperienced cook to make. Although they're not my personal favorite thing I've ever made for the blog, they seemed to be a hit with my taste testers and were happily gobbled down almost as soon as I took them out of the oven, which will hopefully be the case for you, too if you ever decide to try your hand at this French treat!

So I want to make one thing clear: I like cheese. I do. Many of my favorite meals and snacks involve cheese. They're just not very adventurous cheeses, and like most things, I tend to stick with what I know.

One thing I do know is that I'm not a big fan of goat cheese. Like, at all. Seriously. Which means this post is probably a little strange, considering the primary ingredient is goat cheese. Why did I decide to feature this recipe if I'm not a fan of the primary ingredient, to the point of where I often pick it off of salads or anything else it comes attached to?

As I was lamenting the fact that it's been a really, really long time since I've done anything with either Cécile or Marie Grace, my mom suggested trying my hand at this treat she and my sister enjoyed while my family (minus me) was in France several summers ago. This was during the period where my sister was a vegetarian, and as such cheese became a major part of her diet. My mom is also a fan of goat cheese, so when they discovered this tasty French treat which works for pretty much any meal or occasion, they were both pretty set when it came to knowing what to order.

I didn't work with a recipe for this post, so I can't promise it's wholly authentic, but my mom says it's exactly what she had when she ordered them in France. First, you slice up a baguette into decent sized slices: not too thin, not too thick. You want something that's going to be easy to hold and have a little strength to it so the cheese doesn't flop off on you.

Next, you slice up the goat cheese. This can be a little difficult because the cheese is very sharp, so you want it to be cold from the fridge and use a very sharp knife to cut it. Most of the toast my mom had in France had herbs de provence on them, but we did half herbs de provence and half cracked black pepper. After drizzling some honey on them, you're ready to stick them in the oven at 350 degrees for about ten to fifteen minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't totally fall apart on you!

Once that's done, you're all ready to go!

Bad news: I still really don't like goat cheese. Something about the flavor just doesn't sit well with me at all, the same way I don't really like bitter vegetables or the taste of alcohol. The honey masked it a little, but not enough for me to think gee, I want to eat six more of these! One was more than enough. That being said, my family members who do like goat cheese seemed to really enjoy this, so mission accomplished, I suppose!

Because it's so simple and goat cheese is a versatile ingredient, this is another recipe that's easy to customize to suit your needs or preferences. For that reason, even if I'm not personally a huge fan, I consider it to be a winner.

And fortunately I had plenty of help in eating the ones I didn't want to!