Grab a sturdy cracker for this super easy Whipped Goat Cheese and Raspberry Red Chile Jam Appetizer. Salty, creamy, sweet and spicy it makes for an incredible flavor experience.
It was about four years ago when our son Sean added Heidi’s Raspberry Red Chile Jam to his Christmas list. Hmph … never heard of it. A Googling I went and came up empty on where to purchase this intriguing condiment.
After all, we’re dedicated “chile heads” around here.
Nothing left to do but ask him about the product.
He told us the only place he could find it was in Albuquerque. And with our love for New Mexico cuisine, I simply HAD to get my hands on this red chile jam. Even if it meant making the drive to the Land of Enchantment.
Not long after, I found it available on Amazon – Hurray.
Move over Marionberry (former favorite jam). Heidi’s Red Chile Jam has moved into first place as being my absolute favorite jam – ever.
Beautiful raspberry flavor with just the right amount of New Mexico red chile pepper heat. We ordered several jars and passed it out to friends like a new Father would cigars.
Heidi’s Raspberry Farm
An interesting company, located in Corrales, just outside Albuquerque, Heidi’s is a raspberry farm that’s been making small batch jams since 2001, selling their products in Farmer’s Markets in the area.
They’re oraganic, they’ve won awards, they’re involved in and give back to the community. You’ve got to love everything about a company like that.
And when I find a product that I’m this crazy about, I have to share the love with my readers.
I’ve been buying Heidi’s for a few years now, but I must disclose that Heidi’s recently provided me free samples of their products so I could try flavors other than their Raspberry Red Chile.
How do these sound? Raspberry Ginger Jam. Raspberry Red Chile Ginger Jam, Raspberry Lavendar Jam. They’ll all OMG delish.
I usually just smear their red chile jam over a toasted English Muffin = divine. And wanted to branch out and find more ways to use this jam.
An appetizer sounded perfect, and I found this recipe on their website which included whipped goat cheese. Let’s take a look.
Whipped Goat Cheese Appetizer with Raspberry Red Chile Jam
Don’t you just love finding a recipe that is not only delicious but ready to eat in less than 15 minutes? Keep this recipe in your back pocket when you need a quick fix appetizer. It happens!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Heidi’s Raspberry Red Chile Jam
- 1 4-ounce log of goat cheese
- 1 ounce Cotija cheese
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Pinon nuts (or Pinyon, outside of New Mexico)
- Chives
- Sturdy crackers
Note, Heidi’s recipe calls for 5 ounces of goat cheese. I could only find 4 ounce logs, so added some Cotija cheese that I already had on hand to make up the difference.
How To Make This Easy Goat Cheese and Raspberry Jam Appetizer
- Place cheeses and cream in a small food processor/grinder.
- Pulse until smooth and blended.
- Dice the chives and coarsely chop the pinon nuts.
- Place about one tablespoon of the cheese mixture on a sturdy cracker.
- Top with about one teaspoon Heidi’s Red Chile Jam and sprinkle on some chives and pinon nuts.
If you’re interested in learning more about New Mexico Pinon Nuts, check out the article from the Daily LoBo.
And if you want to get real snazzy, sprinkle on some micro-greens. They’re hard for me to find, so I bought some watercress and cut off the very small leaves for the photo.
Recipe for Whipped Goat Cheese Red Chile Jam Appetizer
Here’s why this easy goat cheese appetizer recipe works so well.
- The texture is spot on. I used Croccantini Artisan Crackers. They’re sturdy and they have a “just right” snap.
- The creamy goat cheese is a nice partner for that crunchy cracker.
- The salty tart silky-creamy cheese and the sweet spicy jam are a marriage made in heaven.
- And the oily buttery pine like flavor of the pinon nuts are a perfect flavor addition.
If you’re looking for goat cheese appetizer recipes, I hope you’ll give this one a try. We l-o-v-e-d it! And I’ll serve it for our next neighborhood wine night party. It’s simply perfect for that type of gathering.
Once you make this, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a message about your experience with the recipe.
More Goat Cheese Appetizer Recipes
***GIVE-AWAY***
Heidi’s has offered to give a sampler pack of three of their unique gourmet jams to three of my readers! FREE! Thank you Heidi’s.
To enter, just click on THIS LINK and complete the form. Available only to those in the USA. Offer ends 2/29/2020.
Whipped Goat Cheese and Raspberry Red Chile Jam Appetizer. Salty, creamy, sweet and spicy makes for an incredible flavor experience.
- 5 ounces mild goat cheese room temperature
- 1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream to thin the goat cheese
- 12 teaspoons Heidi’s Raspberry Jam we suggest Raspberry Red Chile or Raspberry Red Chile Ginger
- 12 Salty crackers your choice, I used
- Fresh chives, micro-greens, Piñon nuts- Salty crackers of your choice
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Place goat cheese in a small bowl or in the bowl of a small chopper/grinder. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of heavy cream and mix with a small whisk or fork. Or if using a small chopper, pluse to combine and smooth the cheese.. If the goat cheese is too thick to spread, slowly add small amounts of heavy cream to get the cheese to spreading consistency.
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Spread about 1 tablespoon of the goat cheese on each cracker. Top each cracker with 1 teaspoon of Heidi’s jam. Sprinkle with chopped chives, piñon nuts, and micro-greens. Serve.
Depending on the size of cracker you’re using, you may need to decrease the amount of goat cheese and jam. Example, small cracker could mean 1 teaspoon goat cheese and 1/4 teaspoon jam.
The only logs of goat cheese I can fine are 4 ounce logs. I added an ounce of cotija cheese to make 5 ounces of cheese.
