Roasted Feta with Thyme Honey
This recipe creates a savory candy-like feta with a softened custard interior. The slightly burned exterior adds to the unique flavor profile. It's a simple yet impressive hors d'oeuvre, perfect for accompanying a larger meal. Use a small dish to prevent oil from pooling and catching fire. Serve with rustic crackers or toasted bread instead of pita.
This recipe creates a savory candy-like feta with a softened custard interior. The slightly burned exterior adds to the unique flavor profile. It's a simple yet impressive hors d'oeuvre, perfect for accompanying a larger meal. Use a small dish to prevent oil from pooling and catching fire. Serve with rustic crackers or toasted bread instead of pita.
- Carbohydrate 1.97528770833333 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 18.1007595833333 g
- Fiber 0.607593773682912 g
- Protein 0.441857291666667 g
- Saturated Fat 2.60039541666667 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (68g)
- Sodium 2.50258333333333 mg
- Sugar 1.36769393465042 g
- Trans Fat 0.850927916666664 g
- Calories 168 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Select a small oven-to-table earthenware dish or a small ovenproof saut? pan lined with aluminum foil to help transfer the cheese to a plate after roasting. Place the feta in the dish and cover with the olive oil. Bake until the cheese is soft and springy to the touch but not melted, about 8 minutes.
- Preheat the broiler. Heat the honey in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water until it is fluid enough to be spread with a pastry brush and then paint the surface of the feta with it. Broil until the top of the cheese browns and just starts to bubble. Season with black pepper. Serve immediately with pita wedges and, if desired, sliced heirloom tomatoes, roasted beets, nuts or pickled vegetables.
Most cooks rely on an arbitrary timer when preparing baked cheese, which almost always results in a puddle of liquefied dairy rather than a cohesive slab with structure. Direct heat transforms block-form sheep or goat milk cheese through controlled protein denaturation, turning the exterior firm while retaining an internal custard-like consistency at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Understanding this protein behavior allows cooks to bypass guessing entirely and focus on physical feedback from the ingredient itself.
Selecting an appropriately sized baking vessel dictates whether the fat separates aggressively or remains suspended around the block during the initial eight-minute thermal phase. Choosing a dish slightly larger than the eight-ounce slab prevents olive oil from pooling deeply, which matters because excess oil can catch fire under high broiling elements. Furthermore, lining the pan with aluminum foil facilitates safe extraction of the delicate cheese once heated.
Assessing doneness requires tactile confirmation rather than visual monitoring during the bake. Pressing a finger gently against the surface should yield a springy, resilient resistance indicating the proteins have tightened without fully melting into liquid fats. If the cheese feels completely firm, it has overcooked; if it squashes flat instantly, the internal temperature has not yet reached the threshold required for softening.
Applying warmed honey immediately before broiling initiates rapid caramelization across the dairy lipids and natural sugars. Brushing the honey thinly ensures even browning within the final minutes under direct overhead heat, producing contrasting bitter-sweet notes. Grinding fresh black pepper over the bubbling surface cuts through the concentrated richness immediately before service.
