My two favorite foods are cheese and crunchy foods. Yes, I know that crunchy foods aren’t a specific food per se but I’m a sucker for anything with a bit of crunch. Put a box of crackers in front of me and they’ll be gone in one sitting, I have no shame…Ok, maybe a little shame that’s why I love creating low-carb recipes that are crunchy and what better way than to use Moon Cheese, our favorite cheesy crunchy snack. It’s truly the best of both worlds.
Today (July 20th, 2019) is the 50 year anniversary of the first Moon landing so we’re celebrating with these Fried Goat Cheese Poppers! I’ve always been a bit of a space nerd.
One year my family and I were on a family vacation headed to Pensacola, FL. We were driving through Huntsville AL and I saw a billboard that said “Space Camp, turn right”. Well obviously, that’s what we HAD to do, when my parents wouldn’t let me go I’ve never been more disappointed in my life, I mean I was in 1st grade at that point so take that for what it’s worth, ha!
Anyways, the point being that today is a fun day to look back on the lunar landing and celebrate how far us humans have been able to go.
This recipe makes a great side dish, appetizer, or party finger food. The cheese mixture has the goat cheese, fresh herbs like parsley, basil, thyme, and rosemary, as well as crispy prosciutto. Then I’ve rolled the poppers in a gouda “bread crumb” mixture made out of gouda Moon Cheese, fried them up and topped them off with a spicy serrano gouda pesto! Talk about a bite of heaven.
For the pesto I’ve used the gouda Moon Cheese in place of pine nuts and it worked perfectly. Its double cheesy thanks to the classic parmesan but the gouda takes the crunchy, nutty place of the pine nuts.
I hope you enjoy these poppers! Be sure to drop a comment below if you make them or better yet tag both @castiron_keto and @mooncheesesnacks on Instagram to show us your creation!
Keto Fried Goat Cheese Poppers with Serrano Gouda Pesto
ingredients:
- 8 ounces goat cheese log, rolled into 8 balls
- 4 slices prosciutto, diced
- ¼ cup minced mixed herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley)
- 1 bag gouda Moon Cheese
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup oil (algae, avocado, or refined coconut oil), for frying
- 1 cup packed basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons gouda Moon Cheese
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 serrano pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
instructions:
How to cook Keto Fried Goat Cheese Poppers with Serrano Gouda Pesto
- Start by making the pesto. Place the basil, gouda Moon Cheese, garlic, and serrano pepper in a food process and pulse until very finely minced. With the processor running slowly stream in the olive oil. Add in the parmesan cheese and pulse one or two more times to combine, transfer to a serving vessel and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Place a large 10.5” cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Once hot add the diced prosciutto to the skillet and cook, stirring, until crispy – about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix together the goat cheese, crispy prosciutto, and minced herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Form into 8 balls, place on a parchment lined baking sheet or plate and freeze for about 20 minutes until firm.
- Blend the Moon Cheese and the coconut flour together until fine. Place in a shallow bowl and beat the egg in a separate bowl.
- Heat the oil in a 10.5″ cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
- Dip each goat cheese popper into the beaten egg then dredge through the gouda mixture dropping immediately into the hot oil. Fry for 30 seconds to `1 minute just until golden brown, remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain any excess oil.
- Serve the poppers with the serrano gouda pesto.
NOTES:
Please note that the nutritional info below is for 1 popper with 1/12th of the pesto. You will have a bit of leftover pesto with this recipe. The individual breakdown is as follows:
Poppers (each / without pesto):
calories: 181
carbs: 0.4
fiber: 0.2
net carbs: 0.2
protein: 9.3
fat: 15.6
Pesto (12 servings):
calories: 95
carbs: 0.2
fiber: 0
net carbs: 0.2
protein: 1.3
fat: 10
Full bite (popper + 1 serving of pesto) listed below
Calories
276
Fat (grams)
25.6
Carbs (grams)
0.6
Fiber (grams)
0.2
Net carbs
0.4
Protein (grams)
10.6
I’m allergic to mammal meat. I wonder if this would hold together if I leave the prosciutto out?
Yep, they’ll be just fine without.
Sounds delicious! I know you have a sponsorship situation here, but I think an almond meal and ground pork rind “breading”. Would be awesome.
Hi Adriana, we’ve actually tried this recipe a few months ago with almond flour / pork rind combo and they burnt to little crisps. The almond flour doesn’t do well deep frying.