Recipe | Warm Goat Cheese, Fig + Hazelnut Salad
This is sponsored post written by me on behalf of Holland House Cooking Wines and Vinegars
Recipe and opinions are my own
In the summer we are so good about eating plenty of leafy greens, actually most nights you'll find a simple salad on our dinner table, but as soon as the season changes I no longer crave salads with the same frequency. This one, however, has a few key things going for it: 1. warm cheese 2. hazelnuts and 3. dried figs, making it very crave-worthy even on chilly nights!
It is the perfect salad for a special weekend lunch, which is how we had it on Sunday. Or ideal for entertaining, because it makes a pretty presentation and includes cheese so you can skip the pre-dinner cheese board or appetizer if you like. Sometimes I add a little chopped tarragon or basil if I have it on hand. Enjoy!
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^^ The best way to slice the cheese rounds is with plain dental floss, which we don't have, so I used a knife and cleaned it each time before slicing. ^^
Ingredients:
Mixed greens (Enough to feed 4)
1 TBS Holland House Champagne Vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 TBS olive oil
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 scallions, white and light green parts only, diced
3 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
12 dried figs, cut in half
5 oz roll of plain goat cheese
1 cup hazelnuts, chopped (I use my mini prep food processor to make it fast)
Optional Fresh Herbs: basil, chives or tarragon (add if you have them, it's delicious with them or without them)
Directions:
Pre-heat broiler
Combine champagne vinegar, mustard, then slowly whisk in olive oil to make an emulsion. Add salt, pepper, scallions and parsley and whisk together. Toss dressing (I don't use all of it, just enough to wet the greens. I save the rest for seconds the next day), figs and salad together (add any additional herbs if you like). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll goat cheese log in chopped hazelnuts until well coated. Slice log into 1/2 thick rounds and place on parchment sheet. Warm the cheese under the broiler for 1-2 minutes depending on heat of broiler. Be careful not to let cheese start to melt too much or burn the nuts. It goes quickly, so just keep an eye on it. Top warm cheese slices on plated salad. Eat while cheese is still warm.
This is sponsored post written by me on behalf of Holland House Cooking Wines and Vinegars
Recipe and opinions are my own.