Napoleon Of Beets And Herb Goat Cheese With Grilled Asparagus Recipes

GRILLED POTATO AND GOAT CHEESE NAPOLEON WITH BALSAMIC-BASIL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a pot of salted cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, but still firm, 12 to15 minutes. Drain and let cool before cutting each potato in 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• While the potatoes are cooking, combine the vinegar, garlic, mustard, basil and 1/2 cup of the oil in a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat your grill to medium.
• Brush the potato slices on both sides with the remaining 1/4 cup oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes on the grill, close the cover, and grill until lightly golden brown and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
• Carefully transfer the potatoes to a flat surface. Make stacks by layering the following: 1 slice potato, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, 1 slice potato, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, 1 slice potato. Place the stacks back on the grill, close the cover, and grill until the cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute.
• Transfer the potatoes to a platter, drizzle some of the vinaigrette on and around the potatoes, and sprinkle with the chives.

EGGPLANT AND ASPARAGUS NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
• For the vegetables: Place a grill pan over medium-high heat, or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant until tender, about 4 minutes each side. Grill the asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally until crisp-tender. When cool enough to handle, cut the asparagus in half crosswise.
• For the filling: In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, basil, Pecorino Romano, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• To assemble: Place 4 slices eggplant on a work surface. Spread each with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture. Line 4 pieces of asparagus, side-by-side, on top. Place another slice of eggplant on top and repeat the layers. Top each napoleon with a slice of eggplant and place on a small baking sheet. Bake until warmed through, about 10 minutes, and serve.

BEET AND GOAT CHEESE NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Using a round cookie cutter (size will depend on size of beets), cut out as many rounds as you can. In a medium-size skillet, bring rice vinegar and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and add beet slices in batches that you can manage, cook beet slices, turning once, about 2 minutes. Transfer slices to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Pat dry and let chill. The left over scraps can be cooked up the same way to be used later in a salad.
• Stir goat cheese together with the chives, parsley, 2 teaspoons thyme, and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
• Bring orange juice to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup, 4-5 minutes. Be careful to watch this part closely. I burned the first batch, and it didn't taste yummy. Let cool. Transfer juice to a bowl along with remaining thyme, balsamic vinegar, zest, and shallots. While whisking, drizzle in olive oil and hazelnut oil; whisk until smooth. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper; let chill.
• To serve: Put 1 beet slice on work surface; spread about 1 tsp to 1 tablespoons cheese mixture over beet depending on the size of your rounds. Top cheese with another beet slice, pressing down so cheese oozes to edge. Repeat to create a stack with 3 to 4 layers of cheese between 4 to 5 beet slices. Make as many stacks as you can with the slices you have. I ended up with 9 stacks because the beets I had were pretty small. Slice each stack into 4 wedges if large, or in half if they are small. Place salad greens on small plates and divide beets among them. Drizzle vinaigrette over each plate; garnish with nuts.
• I had extra goat cheese left over, which I used to top some pasta a couple of days later -- yum.

ROASTED RED AND YELLOW BEETS WITH GOAT CHEESE AND LEMON-TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat grill. Rub beets with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and wrap separately in aluminum foil. Place on the grill over medium heat and let cook for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from foil and let cool slightly. Peel and cut into 1-inch pieces. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and tarragon and season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange the arugula on a platter, top with beets and goat cheese and drizzle with lemon vinaigrette. Sprinkle with pine nuts.

GRILLED BEETS WITH GOAT'S CHEESE AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill.
• Cover beets by 3 inches with cold water in a large saucepot. Bring the water to boil and simmer until paring knife slides out of beet when pricked. Strain and let cool. While running under water, rub beets with towel to remove skin. Slice beets into 1/2-inch rounds. Prepare marinade by combining all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and add vegetable oil. Toss sliced beets and hold.
• To prepare the walnuts, melt butter in a 10-inch skillet and add walnuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes and season well with salt and pepper. Reserve left over butter.
• For the vinaigrette add all the ingredients and the walnut butter. Whisk well.
• To finish, grill beets on both sides for 2 minutes and toss in vinaigrette. Place 4 to 6 slices of beets on each plate and drizzle with vinaigrette. Add 5 dollops of goat's cheese (1 to 2 ounces) per serving, sprinkled with walnuts and chives.

ROASTED BEET NAPOLEON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the beets in a small roasting pan and pour in enough cold water to reach about 1/4 of the way up the sides of the beets. Cover the pan with foil, and roast the beets until they are tender, 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes. To check for doneness, gently insert a bamboo skewer into a beet. The skewer should slide through easily. Remove the beets from the pan, allow to cool, and then peel. Cut each beet into 1/4-inch-thick round slices. Cut each slice with a 3-inch round cookie cutter. (You will need 10 rounds). Cut trimmings into 1/4-inch dice and reserve 1/2 cup for garnish. In a saute pan, bring vinegar and sugar to a boil. Lower to a simmer and poach beets 1 minute on each side. With a slotted spatula, remove and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cover and refrigerate until needed. When ready to assemble, heat the olive oil in a small saute pan. Arrange the slices of Herbed Goat Cheese in the pan and warm slightly, turning them with a small spatula just to warm both sides. This has to be done quickly, or the cheese will melt. To assemble the napoleons, place 1 of the beet rounds on a firm, flat surface and begin to layer. Top with a slice of goat cheese, then another beet round, a second slice of cheese, another beet round, a third slice of cheese, and a beet round. (Continue until you have 5 layers of beets and 4 layers of cheese.) Carefully cut through layers, dividing into 3 wedges. Repeat with the remaining beets and cheese. To serve, arrange 3 of the wedges, pointed ends facing out, in a circle in the center of each plate. Toss the baby lettuces with the Spago House Dressing and mound half of the lettuces on top of each arranged napoleon. Drizzle 1/2 of the Citrus Hazelnut Vinaigrette around each mound. Sprinkle toasted nuts and reserved diced beets on top of drizzled vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
• Combine the parsley, chives, thyme, and pepper and place on a flat surface. Roll the log of cheese in the mixture, coating all sides and retaining the shape of the log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the shallots and the mustard. Whisk in the vinegars and then the olive and vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed.
• In a medium saucepan, bring orange juice to a boil. Lower to a simmer and reduce until only 1/3 cup remains. Cool to room temperature. In a medium bowl, combine orange juice, shallot, thyme, vinegar and orange zest. Slowly whisk in both oils until thick and emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the hazelnuts on a medium baking tray and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, turning after 5 minutes. (This can be done in a toaster oven). Remove to a clean towel and rub to remove as much of the skin as possible. Chop coarsely and use when needed.

HERB CRUSTED GOAT CHEESE AND HEIRLOOM BEET SALAD

Steps:

• Boil beets until tender. Chill, peel, and cube beets.
• Form cheese balls into 1 1/4-inch diameter disks. In a bowl, combine eggs and half-and-half together. Place flour and Herb Crust into separate pans. Dredge cheese balls in the flour, then the egg mixture, and finally the herb crust. Stack the medallions on parchment paper to prevent condensation. Fry goat cheese medallions until golden brown. Drain.
• Toss the arugula in the balsamic vinaigrette, then place the 2 ounces of the arugula in the center of each plate. Arrange about 2 ounces of the beets around the rim. Place 1 goat cheese medallion on top of the arugula, and drizzle with additional balsamic vinaigrette over the beets.
• Clean all herbs from stems and chop roughly. Finely chop herbs and garlic in food processor. Add breadcrumbs and olive oil. Process until distributed.
• Combine all ingredients.

HERB COATED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Arrange the bread slices on 2 heavy baking sheets. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the bread slices. Bake until the crostini are pale golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir the herbs, lemon zest, pepper, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using about 2 teaspoons of cheese for each, form the goat cheese into 1-inch diameter balls. Roll the cheese balls in the herb mixture to coat completely. Arrange the cheese balls on a platter. Drizzle the extra-virgin olive oil over and around the cheese balls. Serve with the crostini. Garnish with herb sprigs.
• The crostini and cheese balls can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store the crostini in an airtight container at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate the cheese balls.

GRILLED POTATO AND GOAT CHEESE NAPOLEON WITH BASIL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Place vinegar and basil in a blender with salt and pepper and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil and blend until emulsified, check for seasoning.
• Heat grill to high. Brush potato slices on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Make stacks with the following layers: potato, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, potato, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, ending with potato. Line the grill with foil and grill the stacks, covered, about 1 minute or until cheese starts to melt. When the cheese is almost melted, slide the stacks from the foil to the grate of the grill just to crisp the bottom, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Drizzle the basil vinaigrette on and around the potatoes and top each Napoleon with some of the basis leaves and chives, if using.

BEETS AND GOAT CHEESE ON A BED OF SPINACH

Steps:

• Make the dressing. In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the vinegars and salt to taste. Whisk in the mustard and the olive oil. Set aside.
• Toss the spinach with 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Line a platter or individual plates.
• Skin the beets and cut in half lengthwise (stem to root), then slice into thin half moons. Place the sliced halves on top of the spinach and fan them out. Drizzle on the remaining dressing and sprinkle on the herbs. Top each fan of beets with crumbled goat cheese and pine nuts, and serve.

GRILLED VEGETABLE AND GOAT CHEESE NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Brush tomatoes with 2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle with oregano, basil and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Transfer to an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until tender., Brush zucchini and yellow squash with 2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place vegetables in a grill wok or basket. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 8-12 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally., Remove and discard stems and gills from mushrooms. Brush mushrooms and eggplant with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with remaining salt. Grill mushrooms, covered, over medium heat for 12-15 minutes or until tender. Grill eggplant, covered, over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until tender., In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon garlic and remaining pepper., Place mushrooms on a greased baking sheet; spread each with 2 teaspoons cheese mixture. Layer with zucchini, squash, 2 teaspoons cheese mixture, eggplant and remaining cheese mixture. Top with mozzarella cheese and tomato. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted., In a large skillet, saute remaining garlic in remaining oil for 1 minute. Add spinach; cook for 4-5 minutes or until wilted. Divide among four plates; top each with a mushroom stack. Drizzle with vinaigrette.