Substitutes For Feta: Chevre

The European Union mandated in 2005 that only Greece can use the name feta to label its tangy, salty, sheep and goat cheese. The U.S. is still allowed to use the term feta for its cheese, but most American fetas are unsuccessful imitations made with cow's milk. Chevre is similar to feta because of its tang. Made with goat cheese, chevre is milder, softer and more often used as a spread for appetizers, compared with feta but it still provides that subtly gamey flavor that characterizes anything from the goat food genre. Using chevre in place of feta softens the flavor of a dish and demotes the role of cheese to a partner rather than the principal ingredient .

Appetizers

Essential tips for serving goat cheese as an appetizer include allowing it to stand unrefrigerated for at least an hour to warm to room temperature and storing it for no more than two weeks -- any longer and it will dry out. Elegant appetizers appropriate for making with goat cheese, in place of feta, range from simple rounds sliced from a goat cheese log drizzled with olive oil and freshly chopped herbs, such as tarragon, chives or dill, and seasoned with salt and pepper and served with sliced baguette toasts, or tyropita pastries, which are traditional Mediterranean filo dough squares stuffed with goat cheese and baked.

Salads

Blanching and sauteing vegetables and tossing them with vinaigrette and crumbled goat cheese is a fresh and healthy salad idea. Vegetables that have flavors compatible with goat cheese include green beans, asparagus, roasted or sauteed red and orange bell peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes. Fresh apricots, figs, strawberries, blueberries and peaches tossed with olive oil and goat cheese creates a flavorful and healthy fruit salad.

Main Dishes

Mediterranean societies traditionally serve feta cheese with a variety of main dishes that can include goat cheese as a replacement, such as lamb souvlaki pita sandwiches, herbed roasted lemon chicken, pizza, pasta and spanikopita. Chevre also pairs well with French cuisine, in dishes such as quiche and savory custard pies.

Desserts

Desserts that pair well with goat cheese include pastries with fruit, such as Danishes with blueberries, strawberries or peaches and a goat and cream cheese filling. Figs, apricots, cranberries, pomegranate and almonds all traditionally complement young, mildly flavored goat cheese. A simple dessert is fruit, chevre and a wine, such as merlot or a subtle chardonnay.

Nutrition

A 1-oz. serving of goat cheese provides more protein and more fat than an equivalent-sized feta portion. The total fat content is 8.5 g, which is 13 percent of the 65 g Food and Drug Administration daily value. It provides 6 g of protein, or 8 percent of the 50 g daily value. Feta, on the other hand, provides 6 g of total fat and 4 g of protein.