Goat Cheese with Brandy Soaked Raisins

Servings: 2
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ready In: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2 oz. (100g) of golden raisins
4 oz. (200g) goat cheese, at room temperature
3.5 fl oz. (100ml) of Brandy
1 oz. (50g) Pine nuts
3.5 fl oz. (100ml) of Cider or white wine vinegar
1 tsp of Fennel seeds
4 black peppercorns
Pinch of Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1 stick of celery thinly sliced, save the leaves for garnish

Directions:
1. Soak the raisins in brandy for about an hour, until they have rehydrated and are tender and juicy. Take your goat cheese out of the fridge to let it warm to room temperature.

2. In a hot pan, toast the pine nuts on a medium heat, keeping a careful eye on them to make sure that they don€t burn. Once they are slightly golden and toasted, remove them.

3. Using the same pan, pour in your vinegar, add the fennel seeds, peppercorns, and a pinch of sugar and salt to balance it all out. Bring the mixture to a simmer, taking care not to breath in the evaporating vinegar. Add the celery to the pan and remove from the heat.

4. Quickly cover the pan with cling film and leave the celery to pickle in the liquid for approx. 5 minutes. Drain the raisins and gently dry using a dish cloth , take care to avoid transferring liquid to the plate.

5. Place the goats cheese on your plate and sprinkle with a handful of the toasted pine nuts and soaked raisins. Remove the pickled celery using a slotted spoon and garnish each plate with 6 slices. Finish with celery leaves and serve.