Goat Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomato and Pesto Torta

The appetizer-palooza continues.  Gikes serves this torta every year on Christmas.  Krista served it at New Year’s.  Maybe you will serve it for the Super Bowl.  The opportunities are limitless. 

You can buy poser tortas at the grocery store, but take the time to make this yourself (don’t go too crazy, buy a jar of pesto).  It combines some great flavors into a savory and addictive spread.

Goat Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomato and Pesto Torta

Ingredients: 

1.      Jar of pesto, like Classico Traditional Basil Pesto

2.      8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3.      4 oz. goat cheese, softened

4.      1/3 c sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, patted dry and minced

5.      ¼ c finely chopped pine nuts

6.      Gourmet crackers (I like Pepperidge Farm Butter Thins crackers)

Blend cream cheese and goat cheese in a medium bowl until smooth.

Line a 3-cup bowl with plastic wrap, leaving a 4-inch overhang (this is the toughest step of the entire process.  Take a deep breath.)  Mold one-third of cream cheese mixture into a disk and distribute evenly in bottom of prepared bowl.  Spread about 2 T of pesto mixture over cheese.  Sprinkle with half of sun-dried tomatoes and half of pine nuts.  Mold another one-third cheese mixture into a larger disk and place on top of nuts.  Repeat layers with about 3 T of pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts and then last one-third of cheese.  Tap bowl lightly to allow ingredients to settle.  Fold plastic overhang over top and refrigerate.

Thirty minutes before serving, unfold plastic wrap and invert onto serving plate.  Decorate top with extra sun-dried tomato slices.  Serve at room temperature with assorted gourmet crackers.

Torta may be prepared 3 days in advance.