Baked Goat Cheese with Herb Oil

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl combine goat cheese, cream cheese, milk, zest, lemon thyme, salt and pepper. Beat with a mixer on medium until smooth.

2. Spread cheese mixture in a 12- to 16-ounce au gratin dish or two 8 oz. dishes. Sprinkle with Parmesan. If desired, top with cherry tomatoes. Bake 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool slightly. Drizzle Herb Oil over cheese. Serve warm with crackers and vegetables. Serves 8.

Herb Oil

Blanch 4 1/2 cups fresh herb leaves, such as tarragon, parsley, thyme or lemon thyme, and/or basil, in a medium saucepan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of ice water. Blanching the herbs keeps them bright green in the oil. When completely cool, drain and squeeze herbs to remove water. Using a kitchen towel, pat herbs to dry thoroughly. In a food processor, combine blanched herbs and 1 cup neutral oil, such as avocado or canola oil. Puree until well blended. Season with salt. Makes 1 cup. Keep chilled in an airtight container up to 4 days.Notes from recipe developer Danielle Centoni: Blanching helps the herbs stay bright green. This is a small amount because you don't need much tarragon oil for the goat cheese. But this is such a small amount it won't work in a normal-size food processor or blender. I made it in my little food processor. I think using a cup and an immersion blender would work too. Or scale it up so you'll have enough volume to work in a food processor? You'll need about 1 cup of herbs and 1/2 cup of oil to work in a normal food processor.