Incredible French Endive Salad With Aged Herb Goat Cheese Toasts Recipes

SALAD WITH WARM GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Slice the Montrachet into 12 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. (The easiest way to slice goat cheese is to use a length of dental floss.) Dip each slice into the beaten egg whites, then the bread crumbs, being sure the cheese is thoroughly coated. Place the slices on a rack and chill them for at least 15 minutes.
• For the dressing, place the vinegars, sugar, salt, pepper, and egg yolk in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and blend for 1 minute. With the motor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube until the vinaigrette is thickened. Season, to taste.
• Toss the salad greens with enough dressing to moisten, then divide them among 6 plates.
• Melt 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat until just under smoking. Cook the goat cheese rounds quickly on both sides until browned on the outside but not melted inside. Top each salad with 2 warm rounds and serve.

HERBED GOAT-CHEESE TOASTS

Steps:

• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Divide baguette slices between 2 shallow baking pans. Lightly brush tops of slices with oil, then lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until toasts are crisp but not hard, about 10 minutes.
• Stir together goat cheese, herbs, shallot, and pepper. Season with salt.
• Beat cream with a whisk until it just holds soft peaks, then fold into cheese mixture. Serve with toasts.

ENDIVE AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Sauté 2 or 3 chopped shallots in butter until soft. Tear 4 heads Belgian endive into pieces and arrange on a large plate; top with 3 thinly sliced pears, drained shallots and 4 ounces goat cheese. Dressing variation: Use red-wine vinegar.

INCREDIBLE FRENCH ENDIVE SALAD WITH AGED HERB GOAT CHEESE TOASTS

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan to medium high. Turn on the broiler and place a rack at least 10 inches from the heat.
• In a blender, combine the garlic, lemon juice, a little salt, and the parsley. Turn the blender on the "puree" setting. Stream the EVOO into the blender and puree the dressing until smooth and emulsified.
• Trim the endives of tough ends and peel away any dry or badly scarred outer leaves. Place the endives in a shallow dish and pour the dressing over them. Turn them in the dressing to coat them evenly. Place on the hot grill pan and gently cook the endives for 6 to 7 minutes, until tender, turning frequently.
• Lightly toast the bread under the broiler on each side and remove. Cut the bread corner to corner to make 16 triangles. Trim the ends off the logs of cheese and cut each log into 8 disks. (Cut across the middle of each log, then keep halving the sections until you have 16 equal disks from the 2 logs.) Scatter the Herbes de Provence onto the cutting board. Gently turn each disk of cheese in the dried herbs and situate a disk on each toast. Return the toasts to the oven and broil for 2 to 3 minutes to warm the cheese through and darken the toast to a light, even golden brown.
• Remove the endives 3 at a time to a plate. Carefully halve them lengthwise with a small sharp knife and fan the halved grilled endives across the plate. Add 4 triangles of toast with warm goat cheese to the same plate and serve. Repeat with the remaining portions.