A salad consisting of good ingredients like fresh greens and a nice, light vinaigrette can be so simple, yet very refreshing. Add some excitement like baked goat cheese, then you really have an enjoyable meal! Since I am usually pleased with all of her recipes, I first tried the Barefoot Contessa's recipe for Salad with Warm Goat Cheese. While I heartily enjoyed the combination of flavors, I found the method of frying the bread crumb-crusted goat cheese a bit more difficult than I preferred (although her recommendation of using dental floss to slice the goat cheese worked superbly). In my search to find a better method, I discovered the Herbed Baked Goat Cheese Salad recipe with vinaigrette by Cook's Illustrated. It easily produced an even greater level of flavor and texture since the goat cheese was encrusted in chopped pecans (and I added the optional dried cranberries since I had them on hand). Plus, the method of freezing then baking the goat cheese proved much more effortless. If you're in the mood for something a bit lighter, plan ahead and give it a try (you'll need a couple hours of freezing time, but you can save a few minutes by buying herbed goat cheese instead of using plain then adding your own fresh herbs)!
This salad is soooo good!! The warm goat cheese is soft and so smooth. The cranberries are a great compliment to the cheese as well.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is looking and sounding awesome! Salads with a special ingredient like that seem so satisfying, especially, as you say, when something light sounds good. Keep the great ideas coming! Mom and dad and I tried the Chicken Corn Chowder tonight and it was awesome! It was as beautiful as it was tasty! I love the sight of the shredded cheese and green onions on top of the soup. Mom and dad actually made it with no help from me, so I must give them credit for their brilliant and skillful execution!
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