Goat Cheese, Pear and Pecans Chicory Boats is probably the best appetiser in the world. 4g carbs.
Very quick, extremely easy, and incredible tasty, with no additional seasoning or sweetener whatsoever.
This hors d’oeuvre is an absolute stunner. Not only for the presentation, but also for the delectable flavour combination and beautiful texture.
The inspiration for this dish comes from my savouring something similar in a Michelin-star restaurant. But my keto-friendly re-creation is actually better, and I make no apologies if that sounds pretentious.
You have slight bitterness from the chicory, tanginess from the goat cheese, sweetness from the caramelised pear and roasted pecans, plus a lovely creaminess with an injection of crunch. Absolute heaven!
Chèvre Goat Cheese
French Chèvre is by far the best cheese for this dish. It has a distinctive, white, mould-ripened, soft and bloomy rind. The edible rind encases a slightly dense, crumbly interior with a smooth, mild but tangy flavour.
Over time, the crumbly interior gradually develops into a velvety soft creamy cheese, starting from the rind and migrating into the centre.
Chèvre comes in a log shape and is usually sold in slices, so make sure to choose a slice with the most area of dry crumbly centre, like in the image below.
You can opt for a different cheese as long as it’s not a hard cheese, and if it’s a very soft and creamy type, you’ll need to reduce or even omit the single cream that the recipe calls for.
How to Make Goat Cheese, Pear and Pecans Chicory Boats
You will need Chèvre cheese, a ripe but firm Conference pear, salted butter (my favourite is Isigny Sainte-Mère, which is unpasteurised and has a luxurious flavour), fresh ginger, pecans, single cream, extra virgin olive oil, pea shoots, and, of course, chicory.
The pea shoots aren’t just for presentation – they elevate the dish by adding extra crunch and a touch of sweeteness, so please don’t omit them. If you cannot source them (in the UK you can usually find them in M&S, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose), you could use lamb’s lettuce or similar mild-flavoured alternatives (rocket is too pungent for this dish).
As for chicory, any variety will do, although my favourite is Belgian Endive.
You can use raw pecans if you want, but trust me, roasted pecans are 1000 times better. In fact, whenever I buy some, the first thing I do is open the pack, roast them, cool them and store them in a glass jar ready for whenever I need to use them.
Roasting them is effortless. Line a small baking tray with foil (U.S. = aluminum), scatter the pecans over in a single layer, place in the oven, turn on to 180°C (350°F) and set the timer for 10 minutes. Check at that point: you should smell a lovely, fragrant aroma, if not, leave them to roast for another couple of minutes, but stay close and keep checking – they can quickly burn if left even a minute too long.
There are multiple steps to making this dish, but each one takes minutes. Roast the pecans first (unless you already have a batch you roasted previously). Then sauté the pear and ginger. Then make the cheese paste. Finally, spread a handful of pea shoots on your serving plates, arrange the chicory leaves on top and fill them.
Voilà. Your scrumptious appetisers are ready and worthy of being served in a Michelin-star restaurant.
Enjoy!
Goat Cheese, Pear and Pecans Chicory Boats
Ingredients
- 1 head chicory
- 35 g pecans (U.S. option HERE)
- 1 conference pear - ripe but firm
- 1 piece fresh ginger root - thumb size
- 10 g salted butter - I use Isigny Sainte-Mère, which is unpasteurised and has the most luxurious flavour
- 60 g Chèvre goat cheese
- 25 g single cream - may not be necessary if you use a different cheese and it's a soft type
- 20 g extra virgin olive oil (U.S. option HERE)
- 20 g pea shoots
Instructions
- line an oven tray with foil and lay pecans in a single layer; roast at
180 °C for 10-12 minutes (no pre-heating necessary) until fragrant; set aside and leave to cool completely before breaking them up into large crumbs.35 g pecans - peel, core and remove the centre stalk, then cut the pear into 2cm cubes - you need 50g if you want to match my recipe nutrition values.1 conference pear
- peel the ginger and grate it; 1 tsps (3g) of grated liquid and pulp suffices to add zing without being overpowering.1 piece fresh ginger root
- put butter in a small non-stick saucepan over medium heat, add the pear cubes and ginger and sauté for about 3 minutes until you see caramelisation develop, stirring occasionally; set aside to cool.10 g salted butter
- break up the cheese into a mini food processor, add cream and oil, then blitz to obtain a soft and smooth paste.60 g Chèvre goat cheese, 25 g single cream, 20 g extra virgin olive oil
- scoop the cheese paste into a small bowl and stir in 20g of crumbed pecans.
- spread out the pea shoots over 2 serving plates.20 g pea shoots
- trim the bottom of your chicory and discard the first set of outer leaves.1 head chicory
- arrange 3 chicory leaves on each plate over the pea shoots and fill them with some of the cheese paste, then top with a few pear cubes.
- scatter the remaining pecan crumbs over the top of each boat and the dish is compete.
- you can either serve it immediately, or keep the ready-to-serve plates chilled while you prepare your main course.
Notes
Nutrition
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Oh my word! This is too good for words. Very similar to a starter I had in a Michelin-star restaurant and recreated to keto perfection.