Warm goat's cheese salad
Salade de chèvre chaud, from the goat-cheese country of the Loire and Centre
The Loire Valley and the Centre region, around Sancerre, Chavignol and Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, make some of France's best goat's cheeses, and this salad is how bistros all over the country serve them: rounds of cheese melted on toast, laid over dressed leaves with walnuts and a thread of honey. It is a lunch dish in cafés and a starter at home, ready in 20 minutes. Small crottins or slices from a log both work. Many French goat's cheeses use animal rennet; look for one labelled vegetarian. Chef's tip: grill the toasts with the cheese on top only until the cheese softens and freckles; if it melts flat it slides off and loses its creamy centre.
- Total time
- 18 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the salad
For the dressing
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Whisk 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 pinch salt and 1 pinch black pepper in a large salad bowl, then whisk in 3 tbsp walnut oil or olive oil until it thickens slightly.
Step 2: Heat the grill to high. Toast 8 slices baguette on one side under the grill for 1–2 minutes, until golden.
2 minStep 3: Turn the toasts over, put a round of 9 oz goat's cheese log or crottins on each and sprinkle with 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves. Grill for 3–4 minutes, until the cheese is soft, puffed and browned in spots. Common mistake: using a very fresh, soft cheese, which runs off the toast; a firm log or a crottin a few days old holds its shape.
4 minStep 4: While the cheese grills, toss 5 ½ oz mixed salad leaves in the dressing and divide between plates. Scatter over 1 ¾ oz walnut halves.
Step 5: Lay two hot toasts on each salad, drizzle with 2 tbsp honey and serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does warm goat's cheese salad take?
- About 18 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 8 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of honey?
- Maple syrup or golden syrup, same amount.
- What can I use instead of red wine vinegar?
- Sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Mix capsicum peanut salad
A crunchy salad of red, yellow and green peppers with roasted peanuts, cucumber, carrots and celery, dressed with lemon, dill, mint and celery leaves. Just before serving, olive oil mixed with sesame seeds is poured over the top. It's colourful, filling and full of protein.
All-way potato salad
Warm new potatoes boiled in their skins and tossed in one of three dressings: creamy parsley sour cream, a tangy basil vinaigrette, or a fresh 'greeny' dressing of cottage cheese and herbs. Each dressing is enough for 500 g of potatoes, so make one, or make all three for a party. Serve the salad chilled on a bed of lettuce with a spoonful of single cream on top.
Greek village salad
A true Greek salad has no lettuce: just ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, sharp onion and olives, dressed with good olive oil and dried oregano, with a whole slab of feta on top. Salt the tomatoes first and they'll make their own dressing.
Greek