Baby Greens w/Baked Goat Cheese Rounds

Monica J. Pileggi

December 2004

This is a simple, yet elegant salad.  I made this for New Year's Eve dinner.

Dressing:  

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 small shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Dijon style mustard

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup walnut oil

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk in the walnut oil until emulsified.   Set aside or refrigerate.  Bring to room temperature before using.

Salad Ingredients:

Mixed baby greens

In a large bowl, toss the lettuce with the vinaigrette. Place salad mixture on four individual salad plates. Top with two goat cheese rounds per plate.

Goat Cheese Rounds:

1 soft goat cheese log

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fine bread crumbs

1/4 cup almonds, ground

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the goat cheese into 1/2-inch slices - eight slices total. Pour olive oil into a small bowl or saucer; dip goat cheese slices into olive oil and coat both sides of each cheese slice. In another small bowl or saucer, combine bread crumbs and nuts; dip the goat cheese slices into the crumb mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place the cheese rounds on a lightly oiled baking sheet.  Bake approximately 5 minutes or until the cheese softens slightly and the crust turns golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer rounds to individual salads (two per plate) with a spatula. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Notes: 

- I doubled the dressing recipe to have extra on hand for another night. 

- I used an electric mixer to combine the salad ingredients.

- The cheese rounds will be very soft, so take care when transfering them to the plates.