Easy, Greek-Inspired Appetizer
Salty and sweet, creamy and delicious, it is amazing the impact a drizzle of honey or maple syrup and a blast of heat from the oven can have on Greek feta cheese!
This quintessential Greek appetizer is all about high quality ingredients – a good Greek feta cheese baked in a fruity olive oil and then topped with honey and broiled to get the top all caramelized. The result, a soft, melty and creamy cheese perfect for spreading on crackers, crostini, bread or pita bread with a delightful contrast of sweet and salty.
BE BRAVE and add a little herbiness from thyme or mint, and a touch of heat from a sprinkle of crushed Italian chili flakes.
This appetizer is so very simple, but it will be the hit of the party all year long!
Sweet & Salty Baked Feta
Ingredients
(* indicates my preferred ingredients – see notes for alternatives)
8 oz block of high-quality Greek feta
1½ tablespoons O&V Unflavored EVOO *
2 tablespoons honey or Runamok Maple Syrup * (plus more for drizzling)
Sprig of thyme (plus more for garnish)
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
Pita bread, naan bread, crackers and crostini to serve
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly oil an oven-safe casserole dish, ramekin or cheese baker.
Pat your feta dry with paper towels and place in the oiled oven-safe dish. Top with a sprig of thyme and pour over the olive oil. Bake in the oven until the cheese is warm, soft and springy to the touch (about 8-10 minutes).
Remove the feta from the oven – use a paper towel to soak up any accumulated liquid at the bottom of the dish — be careful — the dish will be hot!
Set the oven to Broil. Using a pastry brush, brush the honey or maple syrup over the top of the feta. Place the feta back in the oven and broil until the top of the cheese and the edges become golden brown and start to bubble (every oven is different so this could take anywhere from 4-8 minutes, but keep checking the cheese as it can go from golden to charred in no time)
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the red chili flakes, some fresh thyme leaves and serve immediately with fresh bread, pita, crostini or crackers (be sure to warn your guests that the dish is hot from the oven)
Serves 4
Active time 25 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes
Chef Note:
All ovens are different, so you can broil the cheese on high and keep a close watch, or on low and leave it in longer. I often just toggle between the two. Just remember to keep a close watch on the cheese when broiling.
Once served, as the cheese cools it will firm up again (still be delicious), but if you like you can return it to the oven for a few minutes to warm up and soften it again.
Since the cheese will likely fall apart if you try to transfer it from one dish to another, it is best to bake the cheese in whatever dish you plan to serve it in.
Notes
* You can use any Unflavored EVOO that has a nice fruity flavor. I love using either a Thyme Honey or Runamok Sugarmakers Cut Maple syrup, but any high-quality ingredients will be great in this recipe.
All highlighted products are available at Oil & Vinegar stores
Categories: Appetizer, Greek Feta Cheese, Unflavored EVOO, Runamok Maple Syrup, Baked Cheese Appetizer, Honey, Sweet, Salty
