When I turn the wall calendar to the September page, I go into denial about the approaching end of summer. At the farmers market, I continue purchasing summer produce until the last day it’s available. Preserving produce also helps keep summer alive in the kitchen. For example, in the recipe I am sharing here, the two vegetable ingredients — eggplant and tomatoes — can be frozen after roasting, so you can prepare the dish in the middle of winter, when a reminder of warmer, longer days is welcome. The third ingredient is cheese, two types of it to be precise, one being fresh chèvre. Given its versatility, a disk of Cypress Grove’s fresh goat milk cheese is a trusted presence in my refrigerator. Recently, I was invited to try two new flavors of the cheese, Meyer Lemon and Honey and the limited edition Hatch Chile, and, with samples provided by the local company, I went on a little creative journey with them. Meyer lemon and alfalfa honey provide a bright, sweet note to the tangy cheese, while flame-roasted Hatch green chiles give the other variety an earthy, mildly spiced flavor. The flavors are well balanced, giving each cheese a charming personality. You can enjoy them au naturel on bread or crackers as appetizer or for a snack (remember to take the cheese out of the refrigerator an hour before eating) or add it to dishes. There are also serving suggestions on the Cypress Grove’s website (cypressgrovecheese.com), but here are a trio of other ideas I tested with excellent results: Dress a pound of steamed green beans with vinaigrette and toss. Add a peach, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces, and some crumbled Meyer Lemon and Honey cheese. Toss again and enjoy. Serves 3 to 4 as a side dish, but I confess I cleaned the bowl all by myself. As delicious dessert for two, I baked an Asian pear, halved and cored, for 20 minutes at 400 F, cut side up, then put a dollop of the Meyer Lemon and Honey cheese in the hollow and let it warm before serving. I am waiting for persimmon season to start to further experiment with fruit. If you have leftovers of the Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini and Tomato in my last column (“Farmers Markets, Summer Produce and Joy,” July 22), warm them up, then dot the surface with some crumbled Hatch Chile cheese…
End-of-Summer Joy and Goat Cheese
