This is one of my most relied-on, instant, starters. It’s quick and easy to do (you just have to defy distraction to avoid the brulée effect); it’s fresh and not too filling; and it’s a bit different and interesting.

This takes about three minutes to prepare (the preparation can be done ahead of time). Then tell your guests to get themselves seated and pour out wine etc while you cook – the cheese will need about five minutes under a hot grill – then serve it immediately.

If you have some interesting chutney – the saucy peach nearly-chutney would be good – that goes well.

At José Pizarro at the Royal Academy they serve a ‘salad de cogollo’, gem hearts topped with idiazábal cheese, nuts and capers… so in addition to the nuts in this recipe you could also experiment with adding capers.

You can also experiment with this concept. For example, for a starter for two I cut a baby radicchio in half (drizzling a little olive oil between its leaves) while I fried half a bulb of fennel and a tangerine, both chopped. I spread a couple of tablespoons of mascarpone on the cut sides of the radicchio to act as glue. I ‘stuck on’ the fried mix, sprinkled over about 50g of feta, drizzle over thick balsamic vinegar, Grill under a hot, preheated grill for a couple of minutes, watching like a hawk the while. Serve, sprinkled over with some crispy onion and tangerine zest.

For more ideas of things to do with baby gem on Saucy Dressings follow this link.

Two useful things to know about goat cheese

1. If the goat cheese is fresh the white rind will be downy and taste good. If it is discoloured, ‘set’, or wet cut it off. For this recipe it’s fine to leave the rind around the slices, just cut off the rind at the ends of the log.
2. Sometimes goat cheese can be difficult to slice – it can snag on the knife and crumble. You can overcome this problem by putting the blade of the knife you are using into boiling water for 30 seconds.

Recipe for baby gem with goats’ cheese and toasted nuts

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Serves – 4

Ingredients

• 2 baby gem
• 4 thick/8 thin slices of goats’ cheese – you want the type in the form of a log that contains itself well within its skin – Riblaire St Varent would be a good choice. So it Kidderton Ash. Slice off the rind on the ends. You’ll need about 100g/4 oz
• ⅓ cup/40g/2oz chopped pecans – or walnuts, or pinenuts; smoked almonds are also good
• 3 tbsp walnut oil
• 4 sprigs of thyme (optional)
• 1 tbsp (4 tsp) thick balsamic vinegar (or you could use either thick raspberry balsamic vinegar or reduced apple balsamic vinegar)
• 2 tsp smoked salt
• 16 generous grinds of Indonesian long pepper

Instructions

1. Cut the baby gem in half vertically and remove any tired looking leaves.
2. Lay out on a flat tray, lined with foil or silicone paper, which can go under the grill. Drizzle over most of the walnut oil.
3. Put a slice of cheese on each half.
4. Top with the chopped nuts, the sprig of thyme, and the salt and pepper.
5. When you’re ready, warm your plates, and get the grill going.
6. Put the baby gems under the grill for about five minutes but keep an eye on them.
7. When looking truly golden and wonderful, take out. Spoon a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, and the rest of the walnut oil, over each and serve PDQ.