Goat Cheese Cakes To Top Your Salad Recipes

GOAT CHEESE CAKES (TO TOP YOUR SALAD)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees and position your cooking rack on the upper 1/3 of the oven.
• Slice the goat cheese (crossways) into 8-10 rounds.
• Place the ground almonds on a plate (if you like ground pepper, you can add some to the almonds).
• Pour olive oil onto another plate.
• Roll the cheese rounds around in the oil.
• Then gently turn the cheese around in the almonds, making sure it's completely coated.
• Place cheese rounds onto a baking sheet and bake 3-4 minutes until lightly toasted.

GOAT CHEESE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter (or spray) a 9 inch cake pan and dust with granulated sugar, tapping out the excess.
• Put the goat cheese, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth.
• Stir in the egg yolks two at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Mix in the flour until incorporated.
• Put the egg whites in another mixer bowl and whip on medium until soft peaks form.
• Using a spatula, fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Let cake cool to room temperature, then run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake before inverting a platter on top of the pan and then inverting plate and pan.
• Lift off the pan to serve and top the cake with berries.
• The cake may be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated, with the berries added just before serving.

GOAT CHEESE CAKES

Steps:

• Puree tomatoes, wine and garlic until smooth.
• In a medium bowl combine goat cheese and tomato mixture, fold in basil.
• Form mixture into 12 half-dollar sized cakes.
• Coat cakes in bread crumbs.
• Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium.
• Place cakes evenly in pan and cook until brown about 1 minute on each side.

GOAT CHEESE AND POTATO CAKES WITH WATERCRESS-AND-ENDIVE SALAD

Steps:

• To make the cakes, place the soft goat cheese in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer the cheese to a large bowl and add the potatoes and bread crumbs; mix until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the grated cheese, scallions, parsley and nutmeg and toss with a fork until combined. Season to taste with salt and a few grinds of pink peppercorns.
• Using your hands, form the mixture into balls about the size of golf balls. (You should have about 12.) Flatten the balls into disks about 1/2-inch thick. Place the ground pecans on a plate and coat each disk with pecans. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the potato cakes and cook until nicely browned (lower the heat if the nuts begin to burn), about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
• To make the salad, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, shallots, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Place the watercress and endive in the bowl and toss to coat. Add the remaining grated cheese and toss again.
• Divide the salad between 4 plates and top each with a few warm potato cakes and serve immediately.