These crispy little bites are kind of like having cheese and crackers in one. Seriously, think about it. The paprika flavored Panko crust is like a fresh baked cracker encasing the warmed cheese. Delicious:) I also really enjoyed the herbal presence of the fresh garlic chives I picked up for garnish - a milder flavor to echo the garlic in the aioli.
Pairing wise I recommend crisp, dry-ish beers such as pilsners, and helles, even though these feta bites can partner extremely well with a variety of craft beers. Hefeweizens work great, and so do saisons. In fact I opened a saison brewed with barley, wheat and rice - the Collete Farmhouse Ale of Great Divide Brewing Co. out of Denver, Colorado. It is one of our go to saisons. We love its dry finish and how easy it is to drink - the 7.3% ABV is masterfully concealed by a complex, yet elegant blend of fruity and semi-tart flavors.
Even though I usually make these bites with feta cheese, they turn out really good with a variety of semi-hard cheeses. So fear not - if you do not share my affection for feta go with Gouda, Emmental or Gruyère. If you like feta though you will appreciate the fact that there is plenty of paprika in the breading - they taste so good together. Sometimes I slice feta really thin, sprinkle a lot of paprika all over, drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil, grab a fork and open a beer. Aaah...so good.
If you can, use the Bulgarian sheep milk feta cheese sold in a big chunk and in brine. It is creamier than any Greek feta, tastes better and does not crumble as easily. Sometimes it can be on the salty side, so be sure to taste it first. If it is too salty replace the brine with cold water and wait for the salt to transition into the water.
The size of the bites is totally up to you. If you prefer crispier pieces opt for smaller bites and expect to use a little extra egg wash, Panko crumbs and flour.
If you are not into garlic aioli, a fun thing to use in its place is roasted red peppers spread or perhaps sun dried tomatoes in olive oil.
Recipe for Paprika and Panko Crusted Feta Cheese Bites
Recipe
Paprika & Panko Crusted Feta Cheese Bites
Ingredients
- ¾ lbs or close chunk of feta in brine preferably Bulgarian
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup flour
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ¼ cup olive oil or vegetable oil for light frying
- 1 small bunch of garlic chives for garnish, optional
- 2 cloves garlic grated or pressed
- 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Turn oven to 350° F. Prepare a silpat lined sheet pan.
- To make the feta bites - cut the cheese into bite size pieces (about as big as chicken nuggets)
- Beat 2 eggs well to make egg wash and set aside.
- In a bowl mix together the flour, Panko crumbs and paprika.
- Heat the ¼ cup of olive oil (or vegetable oil) in a frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Dip a piece of feta in the egg wash and coat with Panko mixture.
- Lightly fry on each side (working with 4-5 feta pieces at a time) and transfer onto the silpat lined sheet pan.
- When all pieces are onto the sheet pan place in the oven for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime make the aioli.
- Using a mixer beat the yolks of the remaining 2 eggs (discard the whites).
- Add the pressed garlic, salt, lemon juice and while continuing to mix slowly add the ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil.
- Take the feta bites out of the oven and arrange for serving, drizzle with aioli and garnish with chives (if using).
Jennifer A Stewart
These look amazing! I love feta cheese and never thought to panko crust it. What a great tapas and perfect with a cold beer. I am just dipping my toes into drinking beer and enjoying your posts!
CraftBeering
Thank you Jeniffer! Really happy to read your comment and keeping our fingers crossed you really get into craft beer! It is so much fun. We feel that it is the best drink out there (naturally:)!
Georgie | The Home Cook's Kitchen
what a great idea! these look beautiful! could def imagine having a few sipping on a beer (or wine too!)
CraftBeering
Oh, yes! They are excellent with sauvignon blanc:) Or Grüner Veltliner.
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
Oh wow these sound so good! The hubby loves craft beer so will definitely show him your blog! Sorry for the late commenting and thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
CraftBeering
Thank you Kirsty!Thanks for hosting:)
Christine
Oh wow does that look and sound good!
CraftBeering
Thanks Christine!
Alison's Allspice
I love feta, and your process of breading it looks amazing! Like you say, cheese and crackers! It would be fun to serve a whole platter of different cheese types, crusted like this. Pinning for later, I found you at What's Cookin Wednesday!
CraftBeering
Thank you Alison! What a great idea about crusting a number of cheeses:) Love it! We should totally do it some time soon.
See you next Wednesday!
CraftBeering
I can relate to the four seasons in one day Dawn! All the more reason to have a well stocked pantry and freezer, you never know what you might need:)
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
So funny...skiing and wearing flip flops the same time! They say around here some days we have four seasons in the one day so that kinda reminds me of that!
I love me some cheese, too, girl! Maybe a little too much so this is calling my name. Salty feta with a crispy panko coating and creamy aioli? I could definitely make a meal out of these. Pinned! One question - do I have to share 😉 ?
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
Yay for spring! I LOVELOVELOVE feta and will not need to replace it with any other cheese. These crispy little bites o' heaven look incredible!
CraftBeering
Thanks Kelsie! Feta rocks:) We are having feta & sausage in individual crock pots tonight for dinner, haha. One of these days I will post the recipe:)