Goat Cheese Appetizer with Bing Cherry Wine Reduction

Have you ever gotten invited to an event or gathering and the appetizer is on you, only the hostess is known to make The Best Appetizers Ever, so you have no idea what to bring because you don’t want to disappoint anyone? Yeah… that happened to me. And to make it more of a challenge, this particular gathering was a wonderful, casual yet elegant, intimate happy hour. On a boat! Yep! A boat. So now it needed to be a classy, tasteful, simple appetizer that traveled well – so well that it could be eaten on a beautiful 23 foot, spit-polish clean speedboat as we went bouncing across the stunningly gorgeous lake watching a spectacular sunset, sipping on a cool, crisp Pinot Grigio. No pressure there….

Well, next time that happens to you, I’ve got the answer for you! This Goat Cheese Appetizer with Bing Cherry Wine Reduction drizzle satisfies all of the above criterion, and then some. The smooth, creamy goat cheese log can be purchased nearly anywhere, and the sauce is a snap to make. Tangy Bing cherries are infused with deep red wine, fresh thyme and sage leaves, a handful of sugar, and a pinch of allspice, all reduced to a scrumptious, syrupy, aromatic mouthful of flavors.

The wonderful thing is how easily this travels to any party or gathering. Just pour the sauce into a Tupperware container and keep the cheese in its own packaging. Bring an elegant plate (or a really cheap, thin paper plate if you happen to forget a nice one like I did), some artisan crackers, and a butter knife, and upon arriving at the gathering, drizzle all that deliciousness over the softened, room temperature luscious cheese. Place it near the crackers and watch it disappear before your eyes as quickly as the sun sinks below the horizon.

What’s your favorite go-to-in-a-pinch appetizer? I’m always looking for new ideas! Post them below. (And remember that you can always Pin or Share or Tweet or Yum this post to all your friends!)

P.S. A big shout out to our wonderful hosts for showing us such a fantastic time! I’m just glad the red wine sauce for my Goat Cheese Appetizer didn’t make a mess out of your spectacularly clean, very WHITE seats!! 🙂

[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Goat Cheese Appetizer with Bing Cherry Wine Reduction – This go to appetizer is perfect for any party or gathering. Everyone loves a good Goat Cheese Appetizer! – Red Wine (I used a Malbec), Sugar, Frozen Cherries (10 oz. bag thawed), Ground Allspice, Fresh Thyme, Fresh Sage Leaves, corn starch (Blended with 2 Tablespoons water), Goat Cheese Log, , In a small saucepan bring wine, sugar, cherries, allspice, thyme, and sage to a boil over medium high heat. Add corn starch mixture, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until sauce reduces and thickens a bit. ; Remove from heat. Remove thyme sprigs and sage leaves and bring to room temperature. ; Place goat cheese log on a plate and drizzle with desired amount of wine reduction sauce. Serve with artisan crackers. ; ; – – Appetizer – American – Appetizer – Easy – Side Dish – appetizer – easy appetizer – goat cheese – goat cheese appetizer[/wpurp-searchable-recipe]