Garden Herb and Lemon Zest Goat Cheese with Edible Flower Art

I loved decorating this goat cheese. I did a post with edible flowers on an herbed butter and it was incredibly popular, so I decided to experiment with goat cheese and I am so happy that I did. Best part of this recipe is that this cheese can be made a couple of days in advance and wrapped in plastic wrap. The cheese wraps up beautifully and the flowers keep their vibrant colors in the refrigerator for a day or two making it easy to pull out for entertaining at the last minute.

I planned this last minute and just went into my backyard, picking which flowers I wanted, goggling them for safety and adding them one by one to the cheese like a brush stroke of color in a painting.

The most important thing is to pick flowers that are edible. Google them. Make sure. There are so many to choose from. Also, you do not want to pick any flower with a strong flavor like marigolds, unless just using one or two of their petals sparingly because they do offer such vibrant color. Choose flowers not sprayed with pesticide. Organic rose petals are also a nice option. I used plumbago flowers, penta flowers, dill, sage, geranium flowers and butterfly pea flowers. I love the vibrant colors. When using leaves, make sure that the leaves are edible also. For example, the flowers of the butterfly pea are edible, however, the green leaves of other varieties of pea flowers are poisonous. So research, check it out!

I used garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. But you can change the recipe anytime, adding other herbs, or just deleting some of my suggested ingredients and use what you have in your refrigerator.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cool Time: 1 hour in refrigerator

Ingredients:

1 - 11 oz log of plain goat cheese

1 Tbs fresh dill, chopped

1 Tbs basil, chopped

1 Tbs parsley, chopped

1 Tbs green onion, thinly sliced

1 Tbs edible flower petals

2 fresh garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

½ tsp lemon zest

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

For Decoration:

Edible Flowers

Sage and Dill Leaves

Lemon Wedge

Beet Sprouts

To Serve:

Crackers, sliced bread, any cheese platter accoutrement.

I used a combination of geranium, penta, butterfly pea and plumbago flowers. I also used fresh dill and sage leaves and a lemon wedge. You can be versatile here, just treat it as your canvas for your art.

Directions:

1. Soften goat cheese for 1 hour at room temperature

2. Add the goat cheese with all the ingredients into a small bowl and mix well

3. Roll cheese into a ball with your hands

4. Place onto a piece of parchment paper and flatten into a round disc

5. Decorate with edible flowers and herbs. See notes and hints above in introduction.

6. Invert onto a large square of plastic wrap

7. Wrap well with the plastic wrap. Fix the shape if you wish by molding the wrapped cheese with your hands.

8. Place in refrigerator for at least an hour. It will keep fresh, two days.

9. Serve with crackers, cheese, grapes or any cheeseboard favorites. It will make a beautiful addition to your board.