Description
A warm, flavorful French goat’s cheese salad featuring breaded and fried rounds of ripened goat cheese served over fresh lettuce with bacon, nuts, and a tangy balsamic dressing. This elegant salad combines creamy, crispy, and fresh textures for an irresistible starter or light meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Cheese and Coating
- 2 x 60g (2oz) ripened goat’s cheese rounds, each 5-6cm (2-2.2″) wide, ideally AOC
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs (regular or panko)
Nuts and Bacon
- 30g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 2 tsp pine nuts
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 100g (3.5oz) streaky bacon, cut into 0.5 x 1.25cm (1/5 x 1/2″) lardons
Salad and Dressing
- 1/2 head red oak or bibb lettuce, washed, dried, leaves torn into 2-3 large pieces
- 1 large tomato, cut into 8 wedges
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped chives
- 1/4 tsp very finely minced garlic
- 1 tbsp finely diced eschalot (~1 tbsp)
- 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (high quality)
- 4 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (high quality)
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prepare the cheese rounds: Cut the goat’s cheese into thick rounds approximately 5-6cm in diameter. Set up a breading station by placing flour in one bowl, beaten egg in another, and breadcrumbs in a third. Dip each cheese round first in the flour, then the egg, and finally coat evenly with the breadcrumbs. Ensure they are well coated to achieve a perfect crispy crust when cooked.
- Cook the bacon and nuts: In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the streaky bacon lardons, pine nuts, and walnuts. Cook gently until the bacon is crisp and nuts are golden, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Remove from heat and set aside, leaving the butter and any rendered fat in the pan.
- Fry the cheese rounds: In the same pan with the butter and bacon fat, carefully place the breaded goat cheese rounds. Fry on medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and crispy but still soft inside. Remove from the pan carefully and set aside on paper towels to drain excess fat.
- Assemble the salad and dressing: In a salad bowl, combine the torn lettuce leaves and tomato wedges. In a small bowl, whisk together minced garlic, chopped eschalot, chives, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and salt to create the dressing. Toss the salad with this dressing. Plate the salad, then top with the warm fried goat cheese rounds and sprinkle the bacon and nut mixture on top. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Note 1: Using AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) goat cheese ensures authentic ripened flavor.
- Note 2: Regular fine breadcrumbs work well, but panko can be used for extra crunchiness.
- Note 3: Red oak or bibb lettuce provide tender leaves that complement the creamy cheese without overwhelming it.
- Note 4: Echalot (a type of shallot) adds a delicate onion flavor to the dressing.