Goat Cheese
Chevre, that fresh, creamy, piquant, almost-painfully-white goat cheese, doesn’t need a lot of fuss to be enjoyed - pair it with a little honey and arugula on a piece of whole grain toast for a simple and satisfying lunch. Lucky for us, fresh, locally produced and organic goat cheeses are readily available in the Madison area — two of my favorite are Fantôme Farms of Ridgeway, and Dreamfarm of Cross Plains. Check out the Dane County Winter Farmers Market and Fromagination, the new cheesemonger on the Square, for their selections of locally produced chevres and aged goat cheeses. For something a little more special to do with your chevre, check out my recipe for my warm goat cheese salad with microgreens and blood oranges.
Microgreens and Blood Orange Salad with Warm Goat Cheese /serves 2
Ingredients:
- 4-6 ounces microgreens or baby mixed greens, washed and dried
- 1 blood orange
- ¼ cup, plus two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – use the good stuff
- 4 ounces chevre, sliced into 4 rounds – keep chilled
- 1 organic egg – Yuppie Hill Farms eggs are the best with their marigold-yellow yolks! (Willy Street Co-op carries them)
- ½ cup fresh bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
In a small, shallow bowl whisk egg with a generous pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. On a small plate, measure your breadcrumbs. Dip each chevre round in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs, making sure they are evenly and fully coated. Repeat with remaining rounds and place in refrigerator while you prep everything else.
Remove peel and white pith from blood orange. Working over large bowl to catch the juices, use a small, sharp knife to cut the orange between membranes to release segments into bowl. Once all the segments are removed, squeeze the orange to release all of the remaining juice. Add another generous pinch of salt and pepper to juice and whisk to combine; add ¼ of olive oil and whisk gently. Note: this is not a fully emulsified vinaigrette. Add microgreens to bowl, but wait until just before serving to toss to coat.
Heat a small sauté pan over medium heat; add remaining two tablespoons of olive oil. When oil is hot, place the chevre rounds in the pan. Cook for about two minutes on each side, until golden brown and crisp. Remove carefully from pan to some paper towels to drain and firm up slightly.
Toss to coat greens with vinaigrette; divide between two plates. Top with chevre rounds and serve immediately.
Bon Appetit!
Still hungry? Check out my current blog on dining at the bar in Madison Restaurant Reviews.