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The vinaigrette is from Gourmet Magazine (October 1993). The goat cheese croutons are my version of their recipe.
More wonderful
Salads and Salad Dressing Recipes.
Don't forget to check out my
Cabernet Filet Mignon dinner menu,
Grilled Rack of Lamb with Pinot Noir Marinade dinner menu, and
Veal Scaloppine Piccata dinner menu which includes Greens with Goat Cheese Croutons.
Greens with Goat Cheese Croutons Recipe
Recipe Type:
Salad and Salad Dressing,
Goat Cheese
Yields: 4 to 6 servings
Prep time: 30 min
Ingredients:
Mustard Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
2 small heads of Boston lettuce, washed well, spun dry, and shredded fine
1 small head of
Radicchio, washed well, spun dry, and shredded fine
Preparation:
Prepare Mustard Vinaigrette; set
aside or refrigerate until ready to use. If refrigerating, bring to room temperature before using.
Prepare Goat Cheese Croutons. Cut the goat cheese into 1/2-inch slices. (Tip: Use dental floss to slice the cheese logs cleanly.)
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. Place the cheese croutons on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
(NOTE: the croutons may be refrigerated at this point for several hours).
When ready to serve your salad: Remove prepared Goat Cheese Croutons from
the refrigerator. Bake them for approximately 6 minutes or until the cheese softens slightly and the crust turns deep golden.
While the Goat Cheese Croutons are baking, place your salad greens in a large bowl; toss
the lettuce and the radicchio with the vinaigrette. Place the green on individual salad plates.
DO NOT OVERDRESS YOUR SALADS
- Too much salad dressing will weight down the salad ingredients and mask their
flavors. The dressing's role is to highlight not to overpower the
salad ingredients. A general rule is 1/4 cup of dressing for 6 cups
of greens. As soon as your salad is mixed, taste a leaf to see if
there is sufficient dressing. If not, drizzle some more over the
salad, a tablespoon at a time; toss and taste again.
Remove the hot Goat Cheese Croutons from oven and transfer them to the top of the salad greens. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Mustard Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed
lemon juice
1 clove
garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly-ground
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup
Walnut Oil
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, shallot, garlic, mustard, parsley, and salt and pepper.
Add walnut oil in a stream, whisking until it is emulsified (I used my blender for this).
Goat Cheese Croutons:
2 (3-inch) soft
goat cheese logs
1/4 cup extra-virgin
olive oil
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs*
1/4 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts), ground
*Check out
Making Homemade Bread Crumbs.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the goat cheese into 1/2-inch slices.
(Tip: Use dental floss to slice the cheese logs cleanly.)
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.
Place the cheese croutons on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
(NOTE: the croutons may be refrigerated at this point for
several hours).
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