Goat’s cheese has always been one of my favorite cheeses to eat and to cook with, it is such a versatile cheese and can be used in so many aspects of cooking and baking (great for cheese cakes!). Moving to British Columbia in 2016 I quickly learned about Happy Days Dairy farm, being Western Canada’s leading goat dairy producer believing in low food miles and have their processing plants close to their family farms to help leave less of a carbon foot print as possible.
Having their first farm in Salmon Arm B.C. being so close to us here at Sparkling Hill Resort it was no doubt we would using their goats cheese all over our menus and at breakfast, it’s a cheese we don’t do anything to, its perfect the way it comes and goes extremely well with our Toasted Walnut pasta, adding the tangy creaminess to this very aromatic dish it just goes hand in hand together.
Here’s a recipe for the walnut pesto, I highly recommend using this pesto with your next pasta meal and crumbling some Happy Days Goats Cheese on top.
Toasted Walnut Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup walnuts
4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
2 cup packed fresh parsley
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
- Toast the garlic cloves in a small skillet over medium heat, shaking often, until brown spots form, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium heat and add walnuts. Toast until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes, shaking frequently to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.
- Combine toasted garlic, walnuts, basil, parsley, parmesan cheese, and olive oil in a blender or food processor; blend until smooth.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Enjoy!
John Stratton l Executive Chef
