The secrets
- Toast the walnuts: it gives them flavour and takes away the bitterness of the skins.
- Damp hands to roll the balls, or the cheese sticks and loses its shape.
- Honey at the very last minute, for walnuts that still crunch.
Goat cheese, honey and walnuts is a classic on warm toast, turned here into a cold bite: a soft, tangy ball, a crunchy walnut crust, and honey added at the very end. It's the perfect bite to balance a spread heavy on pastry.
Two moves take it from good to very good: toasting the walnuts for a few minutes in a pan (they lose their bitterness and smell of toast) and only pouring the honey over at serving time, so the nuts stay crunchy.
Good to know · Tree nuts: for an allergic guest, roll some of the balls in toasted pumpkin or sesame seeds, first and with clean utensils. Raw milk fresh goat cheese is not advised during pregnancy: choose one made with pasteurised milk.
Step-by-step recipe check things off as you go
Toast the walnuts
Put the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. They're ready when they smell toasty and are barely golden. Tip them straight onto a plate to stop the cooking and let them cool.
Popotam's tip · Once hot, walnuts burn in seconds: stay by the pan.Chop the walnuts
Chop the cooled walnuts with a knife into 2 to 3 mm pieces: not a powder, they need to crunch. Tip them into the shallow plate.
Season the goat cheese
In a bowl, mash the goat cheese with a fork with the thyme, salt and two grinds of pepper, until smooth and holding its shape. If it's too soft to roll, put the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Roll the balls
Scoop a heaped teaspoon of cheese (about 10 g) and roll it between slightly damp palms into a 2.5 cm ball. You should get 20.
Popotam's tip · Run your hands under cold water every four or five balls: the cheese stops sticking and the balls stay nicely round.Coat in walnuts
Roll each ball in the walnuts, pressing lightly so the pieces stick all over. Set them on the serving dish as you go.
Chill
Cover the dish with cling film and keep it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes: the balls firm up and hold well on their picks.
Honey at the last minute
At serving time, spear each bite with a pick, drizzle a thin thread of honey over and add a few thyme leaves.
Popotam's tip · Poured too early, the honey runs to the bottom of the dish and softens the walnuts: make it the very last step before passing the plate.
And there you go, it's ready
Check off every step to celebrate.
The secrets to getting it right what makes all the difference
Storing and making ahead
The coated balls keep for 2 days in the fridge in a closed box: you can make them the day before and add the honey only when serving. Once on the table, no more than 2 hours. They don't freeze: fresh goat cheese turns grainy.
Variations
- Crushed pistachios, with a little orange zest in the cheese.
- Toasted pumpkin seeds and a pinch of chili flakes, no honey, for a savoury version.
- Two dried figs or a handful of dried cranberries, chopped and mixed into the cheese.
The questions you're asking
Which goat cheese is best for rolled bites?
A fresh, rindless goat cheese, from a tub or log: it mashes into a smooth paste. Avoid aged or ash-coated goat cheese, too dry to roll, and very wet curd cheese.
Can you make goat cheese bites the day before?
Yes: once rolled in walnuts, they keep for 2 days in the fridge in a closed box. Just drizzle the honey at serving time.
My goat cheese is too soft to roll, what can I do?
Chill it for 15 to 20 minutes, then roll with cold, damp hands. You can also mix in 1 tbsp of chopped walnuts to give it more body.
What can replace the honey?
A drizzle of maple syrup gives the same sweet contrast. For a version without sugar, a dash of olive oil and a grind of pepper.
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