Spring Greens with Warm Goat Cheese

Spring Greens with Warm Goat Cheese - Caity

April 04, 2014

I am excited to finally have my first garden in Portland (not including the sad garden I planted in pots in the backyard of my college house). Last month I planted peas, radishes and a variety of lettuces. I have been eagerly checking the boxes every day to see how much progress the sprouts have made and also to make sure the neighbor's cat hasn't pooped in the boxes… again. I am looking forward to the day when I am able to use my own salad greens for this salad but in the meantime I have been enjoying the Baby Spring Greens supplied by my local New Seasons.

This salad makes a really nice light lunch (I've had it 4 times in the last two weeks, so what!) or we made it for dinner one night with some baked eggs. The recipe comes from The Barefoot Contessa's cookbook "Barefoot in Paris" and I have only made minor changes. I hope you like it as much as I do!

One year ago: Caramelized Grapefruit with Yogurt, White Pizzas with Arugula

Two years ago: Wild Rice Broccoli Casserole

Three years ago: Green Posole with Chicken, Texas Sheet Cake

Serves 2

what you'll need:

for the salad

salad greens for two salads

crusty French baguette

goat cheese

olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

for the vinaigrette

3 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp finely minced fresh garlic

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup good quality olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

To make the vinaigrette, add all the ingredients to a container and shake to mix.

Slice the goat cheese into four 1/2-inch slices. If you accidentally smush them like I frequently do when trying to slice them, just reform them into rounds.

Slice the baguette at a sharp diagonal into four 1-inch thick slices. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle both sides of the bread lightly with olive oil.

Bake for 5 minutes until the underside of the bread is lightly toasted.

Flip each slice of bread and place a slice of goat cheese on each piece of bread. Bake for another 5-6 minutes, until the cheese is warm.