Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Macerated Shallot Vinaigrette

Print Recipe

Crispy Goat Cheese Medallions on Salad greens tossed with a shallot vinaigrette

Course Appetizer, dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American, French

Keyword goat cheese salad, vinaigrette, shallot vinaigrette

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Macerated Shallot Vinaigrette

1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Warm Goat Cheese Medallions

11 oz log of plain goat cheese, cold
4 slices soft white bread
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp each, butter and olive oil, for frying

For the Salad

6 cups mesclun greens, arugula, or spinach

Instructions

For the Macerated Shallot Vinaigrette

Combine the shallots with the rice wine vinegar in a small jar, allowing it to rest and macerate for at least 20 minutes, while you make the goat cheese medallions.
After 20 minutes, add the kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously to combine - set aside.

Warm Goat Cheese Medallions

Cut the crusts off of the bread, and chop into small cubes. Load them into a food processor, and pulse until you have small soft breadcrumbs. Pour them into a shallow bowl for dredging.
In a small bowl, whisk the two eggs with 1 Tablespoon of water.
Using a small sharp knife, or a piece of dental floss, slice the goat cheese into 12 even slices. Dunk each slice into the egg wash fully, then coat with the breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere. Set all 12 slices on a plate and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to make sure they are cold when you cook them. This way the cheese won't melt before the coating cooks.
When ready to cook, heat 1 Tbsp each of olive oil and butter, and evenly space 6 slices of the breaded goat cheese medallions. Cook until the breadcrumbs are golden brown on each side, and the goat cheese is just starting to melt inside. Set aside on a plate and cook the remaining goat cheese slices.

Assemble the Salad

When ready to serve, toss the greens with the dressing, adding salt to taste as needed. Top each salad with two goat cheese medallions, and finish with cracked black pepper.

Notes

This recipe is a spin on the Barefoot Contessa's Salad with warm goat cheese, using a slightly tweaked version of Erin French's Macerated Shallot Vinaigrette. I love how Ina uses the fresh breadcrumbs to coat the goat cheese, as they lend a great consistency to the coating when pan seared. The dressing is classic Erin French (The Lost Kitchen) where simplicity rules.

This is one of my daughter's absolute favorite things to eat - I have worked on how to make extra for eating later, and while nothing beats fresh out of the pan goat cheese, you can store these (fully cooked) in the fridge, and reheat for 5 minutes in a 325 degree oven. The dressing keeps great for at least a week.