Easy Olive Oil Marinated Cheese with Herbs
Mild, creamy cheese is marinated in extra virgin olive oil with additions like lemon peel, peppercorns, and fresh rosemary for a super simple appetizer! As the jar sits, the flavors infuse the oil and the cubed cheese. Marinated cheese in a jar makes a great food gift, too.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 ounces creamy cheese such as havarti, feta, gouda, mozzarella
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
- 2 (1 inch) slices of fresh lemon peel (no white part, just the outer peel)
- 1 teaspoon black or multi-colored peppercorns
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary and 1 sprig fresh thyme, each cut in half
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed (this will release their oils and flavors in the jar)
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky salt
- 1 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil (very important because it's where so much of the flavor is)
Equipment
Instructions
- Cut cheese into 1/2 inch cubes.
- Pack half of aromatics into bottom of clean, sterilized 16 ounce wide-mouthed glass jar.
- Pack half of cheese loosely on top of that. Then add remaining aromatics.
- Add remaining cheese to fill jar. Pour olive oil over the top, taking care to fully cover all of the cheese and additions, to avoid any oxygen getting to the ingredients (which would increase chance of spoiling early).
- Tightly close jar with cover and turn jar upside down and over a few times. Then leave it on the counter for 3-4 hours to infuse and refrigerate overnight before eating, up to 10 days. The olive oil will likely solidify in the refrigerator, so set out an hour or so before serving at room temperature.
- And don't toss the extra oil once you're done with the cheese, it's delicious! Toss it with pasta, use it to marinate vegetables, or whisk it into a salad dressing.