Saturday, February 2, 2013
It's hot and we're having salad
It's summer in Namibia and extremely hot this year. The rain just doesn't want to come and everybody is eagerly awaiting the weather to change. Nobody feels like eating this days, including me and I find it extremely difficult to come up with any recipe what so ever. However, we must eat something. The challenge nowadays is to find something light but substantial, preferable salads.
In December my husband and I watched a cooking show on television, I think it was Christmas with Jamie or something similar, I can't really recall. They served goats cheese with fresh figs and walnuts. Straightaway I was back with my thoughts in my little French restaurant I was managing for a while back in Berlin and remembered the amazing salad served with gratinated goats cheese.
So, a few days ago we had our
Gratinated goats cheese croutons on a bed of baby leaf salad with caramelised figs and roasted walnuts
Ingredients
For the salad
your favourite salad - preferably lollo rosso mixed with lollo blanco or baby leaf salad
fresh frozen figs
walnuts
cocktail tomatoes (optional)
cucumber (optional)
For the croutons
toast bread (I took seeded Low GI)
butter
goats cheese
honey
thyme
rosemary
For the dressing
30 ml balsamic vinegar, better: fig vinegar
45 ml walnut oil
coarse salt
black pepper
Preheat your oven top heat to 200°C. Slice your goats cheese in thick rounds and cut the toast slices in slightly bigger pieces. Layer the baking sheet with baking paper, butter the toast and place the pieces with the butter facing down on the baking paper. Put the goats cheese onto the toast, sprinkle a tad of thyme and rosemary over the cheese and pour some honey over them. Be careful not to overdo it with the honey, less is more. Put it in the oven till slightly melted and golden brown.You must really keep an eye on it, otherwise they either burn or the goats cheese melts completely away. Turn off the oven, open the door and leave the croutons inside, so they stay nice and warm.
Meanwhile wash and spin your salad (whole leaves), than tear the leaves in bite-size bits and place in the middle of the plate. (Don't forget the croutons in the oven!)
Roast the walnuts carefully in a pan, till you start to lightly smell them. Place your frozen figs in the pan and sear them till they start caramelising. Put them aside and DON'T WASH THE PAN. Alternatively you can also take fresh figs for your salad, without caramelising them of course. Pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan, no more than the bottom is covered and heat it up a little. Put aside to cool down.
Cut the tomatoes in half and slice the cucumber, than arrange on the plate.
Mill the salt and pepper over the salad, sprinkle the walnuts and add the figs. Put also the goats cheese croutons onto the salad, then pour the prepared balsamic vinegar or the fig vinegar all over. Finish with the walnut oil.
Enjoy!
In December my husband and I watched a cooking show on television, I think it was Christmas with Jamie or something similar, I can't really recall. They served goats cheese with fresh figs and walnuts. Straightaway I was back with my thoughts in my little French restaurant I was managing for a while back in Berlin and remembered the amazing salad served with gratinated goats cheese.
So, a few days ago we had our
Gratinated goats cheese croutons on a bed of baby leaf salad with caramelised figs and roasted walnuts
For the salad
your favourite salad - preferably lollo rosso mixed with lollo blanco or baby leaf salad
fresh frozen figs
walnuts
cocktail tomatoes (optional)
cucumber (optional)
For the croutons
toast bread (I took seeded Low GI)
butter
goats cheese
honey
thyme
rosemary
For the dressing
30 ml balsamic vinegar, better: fig vinegar
45 ml walnut oil
coarse salt
black pepper
Preheat your oven top heat to 200°C. Slice your goats cheese in thick rounds and cut the toast slices in slightly bigger pieces. Layer the baking sheet with baking paper, butter the toast and place the pieces with the butter facing down on the baking paper. Put the goats cheese onto the toast, sprinkle a tad of thyme and rosemary over the cheese and pour some honey over them. Be careful not to overdo it with the honey, less is more. Put it in the oven till slightly melted and golden brown.You must really keep an eye on it, otherwise they either burn or the goats cheese melts completely away. Turn off the oven, open the door and leave the croutons inside, so they stay nice and warm.
Meanwhile wash and spin your salad (whole leaves), than tear the leaves in bite-size bits and place in the middle of the plate. (Don't forget the croutons in the oven!)
Roast the walnuts carefully in a pan, till you start to lightly smell them. Place your frozen figs in the pan and sear them till they start caramelising. Put them aside and DON'T WASH THE PAN. Alternatively you can also take fresh figs for your salad, without caramelising them of course. Pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan, no more than the bottom is covered and heat it up a little. Put aside to cool down.
Cut the tomatoes in half and slice the cucumber, than arrange on the plate.
Mill the salt and pepper over the salad, sprinkle the walnuts and add the figs. Put also the goats cheese croutons onto the salad, then pour the prepared balsamic vinegar or the fig vinegar all over. Finish with the walnut oil.
Enjoy!
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