Craig Claiborne published in New York Times in 1983 that you “take some rounds of goat cheese, press them into bread crumbs and fry the rounds in little oil OR bake them at 400°F.” That’s when Americans also started cooking the dish as part of regular meals. It’s not just the French that cook this dish now. After the article got published, goat cheese salad became a trend.
Goat cheese is known as ‘Salade au Chevre Chaud’ in France. This is a dish that does not become outdated and is still a favorite part of meals. The salad can also be served with fruit and nuts. American restaurants have goat cheese salad on their menus. In traditional French style, goat cheese is melted on bread pieces and then served with greens. Cheese is coated with breadcrumbs to add crispiness. Since the bread crumbs need to stick to cheese, they are dipped in milk and flour.
Ingredients
handful of walnuts or peanuts as per preference
lettuce leaves
lardon cubes
white bread
few slices, neatly cut from goat cheese roll
egg yolk in shell (optional)
Dijon mustard
cider
small, minced shallot
olive oil: 4 tbsp
vinegar: 1 tbsp
How To Make Warm Goat Cheese Salad
- Place cheese slices on break and grill. Do not fully melt them.
- Fry lardon cubes until they become crisp.
- In a bowl, add mustard, salt, pepper, cider and vinegar. Whisk.
- Add oil to the mixture. Then add minced shallot. Whisk.
- Apply a few drops of oil to the lettuce leaves with dressings.
- In a separate bowl, line the edge with lettuce leaves.
- Add toasted cheese slices. Then sprinkle with nuts and lardon.
- Optional step: break the egg into half. Place the yolk side on top of the salad.
Trivia
- You could use nylon thread or dental floss to neatly slice goat cheese.
- You could freeze the breaded parts for a few minutes before frying them as that is effective in preventing the bread crumbs from coming off goat cheese.
- ‘Chevre chaud’ literally means hot goat.
- Some people may add French cheese to the salad for more flavor. Camembert cheese, lightly heated in the oven, can be used to add more flavor. Avoid over-cooking it as you could burn your mouth when cheese melts.
Some people may drink yolk directly from the shell first before eating cheese and bread slices.