Pickled Smoked Goat

Sure, it sounds deceptively carnivorous and a little barnyardy, but this standout sandwich, which we concocted for our most recent grilled cheese experiment, deserves an arresting name. A more accurate description might be “chevre-salad-sammich.” See? Not as cool.
The above was the third sammy (the only goat cheese) in our four-cheese sammy series (collect the whole set!). Goat cheese goes famously well with sweet-tart fruits and fresh nuts, right? So we chose grapes and pistachios.. The grapes got a light pickling — kissed with vinegar for a day or two — while the nuts were toasted and blended into a fine dust. The real show stealer though was the cheese, naturally. Since Alex’s latest obsession has been Haystack creamery, a goat-only regional powerhouse out of Boulder, CO, we centered this creation around their smoked goat cheese. Haystack’s smokiness is rich, but controlled, more like hand-smoked nuts sprinkled on an otherwise snowy, rich cheese. Because the cheese comes from the mile high altitude of Colorado, the cheese is very smooth and rich-not nearly as acidic as chevre from France, and not crumbly or bland like so many American knockoffs.

1 cup red grapes
2/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup water
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbs. Whole black peppercorns.
1 jar
1. In a small pot, combine the sugar, water, vinegar, and peppercorns, and bring to a light boil, stirring all the while to completely dissolve the sugar.
2. Wash and slice each grape, gingerly, in half. (This will help the brine penetrate the grape’s skin).
3. Place all the grapes in your jar, and pour the brine over the grapes, making sure the brine completely covers the fruit.
4. Let sit in the fridge for 1-3 days, keeping in mind that the longer it sits, the tarter the taste.

1/4 cup pistachio nuts, shelled
2 oz. Haystack smoked chevre
4 slices brioche
2 Tbs. butter (room temperature)
2 Tsp. Agave nectar
Freshly ground black pepper
3. Toast your pistachios on medium heat in a frying pan for about 5 minutes, shaking often. Remove and cool. Place in a food processor mixer and pulse until it resembles a fine green powder. Set aside.
4. Butter your bread. Make sure you spread butter over the entire surface area of each slice–this is crucial to a successful grilled cheese. We like to butter the bread, and then stack the un-constructed sandwich butter side to butter side, so you can stuff the sandwich without buttering your cutting board.
4. Portion your goat cheese into 1-ounce portions, slicing with a string of fine dental floss to cut pristinely (no mint-flavored floss!) If you are eyeballing it, you want five or six quarter-sized circles. Place on brioche, adding the pickled grapes to the mix and gently press together.
5. Heat a wide, flat pan on medium heat for 1-2 minutes for grilling the sandwiches. Add a sliver of butter to grease (it should slowly sizzle). Now add sammies to pan. Flip after about 2-3 minutes or until the bread is golden, short of brown. Repeat.
6. Once cheese is starting to get gooey and bread is slightly browned you are going to add a crust of toasted pistachios and agave nectar. Drizzle agave on the side that’s facing up, and cake on about a tablespoon of the pistachio dust. Before flipping so nut-side is face down, lift sandwich and add more butter. Flip and repeat.
7. When the nut nuts have browned, remove from the pan and let rest for 25 seconds before cutting to let the cheese congeal. Garnish with pepper, and extra pistachio dust.
Beverage: Belhaven Wee Heavy
Soundtrack: Mountain Goats’ “See America Right”