Baked Goat Cheese Salad

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                            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Rosemary Zwick for today's food funny:

Once my friend Shelly and I got into a hot debate about whether
men or women make the larger sacrifice of their respective
gender characteristics when they get married. To my surprise,
Shelly agreed with me that men give up far more than women.
"You're right, Steve," she said. "Men generally give up doing their
cooking, washing dishes, and their grocery shopping."

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                            TODAY'S RECIPE
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As a rule I am opposed to putting things like grilled flank steak
and broiled chicken breasts on top of a pile of greens and calling
it a salad. If I want all my meal in a single pile I'll do it myself,
thank you very much. However, a small patty of warm goat
cheese on top of a delicately seasoned mound of greens, that's something
different.

Baked Goat Cheese Salad

About 1/2 cup (125 ml) dry bread crumbs
1 tsp (5 ml) dry thyme
4-6 rounds fresh goat cheese (chevre)
About 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
6 cups (1.5 L) mixed baby greens or mesclun
1 recipe basic vinaigrette (see below)

Combine the bread crumbs and dried thyme in a plate. Dip the
goat cheese in the olive oil to coat both sides, roll in the bread
crumbs, and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated
400F (200C) oven until golden brown and bubbling slightly,
about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, dress the salad greens with the
vinaigrette and divide among 4 to 6 salad plates. Top each
plate with a round of goat cheese and serve immediately.
Serves 4 to 6.

Basic Vinaigrette

1 Tbs (15 ml) finely chopped shallot or onion
1 tsp (5 ml) Dijon-style mustard
1/4 cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup (180 ml) extra virgin olive oil

Combine the shallot, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a
small mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add
the oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly. If the sauce
separates before being used it can me be recombined by
whisking vigorously for a few seconds.
Makes 1 cup (250 ml).
Received on Tue Jan 18 09:10:16 2011