Wouldn’t you like to try a mini cheese tart topped with a dusting of nutmeg and crowned with a spoonful of pomegranate arils? Delicate, sweet and savory, with a complex bouquet of spices, Pomegranate Goat Cheese Gems make a festive appetizer that delivers a luscious abundance of flavor in one pretty little bite-sized gem.
A Crimson Jewel Box
What is it about miniatures that people find so fascinating?
It seems that most people are inclined to believe that good things do come in small packages. I’m no exception. I have always loved little tea sets, miniature perfume bottles, and my daughter’s Polly Pockets. Miniatures fuel our imagination as they make us feel strong and powerful. They also draw out our most tender inclinations as we appreciate and admire these tiny treasures.
With food it is the same. I remember my delight when I first discovered baby corn in a Chinese stir fry. I enjoy the convenience of tiny grape tomatoes and, more recently, kiwi berries that are just like tiny kiwis but without the fuzz. Baby cucumbers are just too cute not to eat with my Hummus. And those little squash and peppers on the produce aisle? They look adorable stuffed and served as an autumn side dish.
Beautiful Pomegranate Gems
Another natural food miniature is the pomegranate. A beautiful shade of garnet on the outside, a single whole pomegranate is a treasure box filled with dozens of richly succulent gems of fruit. Each brightly translucent flesh-covered seed, or aril, is a diminutive indulgence. Pomegranate seeds are both decorative and delicious.
This autumn I have been getting to know pomegranates better. Recently I learned how to choose a ripe pomegranate and how to open it as I take the juicy arils from inside. I have also been trying to unlock their secrets as I pair these flecks of jewel-toned tartness with any number of flavors both sweet and savory.
Finally I settled on a combination that best represents my discoveries of the season. In keeping with my fascination for miniatures I baked savory mini tarts of goat cheese and Greek yogurt. Next I topped them with a light dusting of nutmeg. Finally I crowned them with a spoonful of pomegranate arils drenched in Spiced Pomegranate Molasses. Delicate, tart-sweet and savory, with a complex bouquet of spices, these little finger foods deliver a luscious abundance of flavor in one pretty little bite-sized gem.
Serve and enjoy!
Pomegranate Goat Cheese Gems
Course: AppetizersCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy30
minutes15
minutes45
minutesDelicate, sweet and savory, with a complex note of spices, these little finger foods deliver a luscious abundance of flavor in one pretty little bite-sized gem.
Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
fine dry bread crumbs
8 ounces goat cheese – chèvre
5 ounces plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons shallots, finely minced
1 Tablespoon butter
ground nutmeg
2 Tablespoons Spiced Pomegranate Molasses (recipe below)
3/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
snipped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish
- To Make Pomegranate Molasses:
1 cup pomegranate juice
3 – 4 Tablespoons honey (according to taste)
1/2 vanilla bean
1/2-inch slice of fresh ginger root
5 cardamom pods
10 pink (or white) peppercorns
1 small Serrano (or jalapeno) pepper, whole
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Spray a nonstick 24-count mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray until well coated. Sprinkle each mini muffin cup with fine dry bread crumbs tilting and tapping until the crumbs thoroughly cover the bottoms and sides of the pan. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add shallots and sauté until soft and beginning to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, beat the goat cheese, yogurt, and egg until smooth and well combined. Add the sautéed shallots and stir to incorporate.
- Spoon the cheese mixture evenly into the prepared mini muffin cups. Tap the pan on the counter top to distribute the batter evenly.
- Bake at 350F for 15 minutes or until the tarts are set.
- Remove from oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool.
- When cool, remove mini tarts from the pan. (You may need to carefully run a knife around the outer edge of the tarts and tap the pan on the bottom to remove.)
- Dust the top of each cooled Goat Cheese Gem with a faint sprinkle of ground nutmeg.
- Stir together 2 Tablespoons of the Spiced Pomegranate Molasses and the fresh pomegranate seeds, or arils, until they are well coated.
- Top each tart with a small spoonful of the coated pomegranate seeds. Garnish with snipped fresh parsley.
- To Make Pomegranate Molasses:
- Combine juice, honey, vanilla bean, ginger, cardamon, peppercorns, and Serrano pepper in a small saucepan. Simmer slowly until reduced liquid to between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of molasses, approximately 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Strain the molasses. Discard the ginger root, cardamom pods, peppercorns and Serrano pepper. Stir in the balsamic vinegar. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds back into the mixture, stirring until well blended. Discard the remaining vanilla bean pod.
- Store the Spiced Pomegranate Molasses in the refrigerator until ready to use.
I saw these over somewhere and voted for them. I thought they might be yours!
Lisa these look so cute and yummy, plus I love anything mini! I will definitely have to try them out.
When something is small we don't need to feel the guilty pleasure of having more than one…I think I will make everything tiny from now on.
What an amazing combination of flavors and so beautiful to as well! 😀
These are so adorable, they have such wonderful color and I bet even better flavor.
i wouldn't have guessed that those were little goat cheese cakelets, but what a perfect pairing for the pomegranate! i wish i knew what was so enticing about miniature goodies, but i find myself smitten with them too. 🙂
The pomegranate goat cheese gems look divine, gotta make these!
These are adorable! I bet they taste amazing too.
Wow, another great appetizer. You're on a roll, Lisa. Your cranberry cheesecake spread was a huge hit. Now I have to try this recipe. Thanks.