Salad of Mixed Baby Greens and Beltane Farm Goat Cheese {Recipe}
Recipe from The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook: 150 Home-Grown Recipes from the Nutmeg State
Authors Tracey Medeiros and Christy Colasurdo:
This refreshing salad has a nice lingering tanginess from the goat cheese croutons.
Cooks&Books&Recipes {Dee}:
The source for this recipe is Union League Cafe, described by the authors as “one of Connecticut’s most enduringly romantic and lavishly lauded restaurants.” Chef-owner Jean-Pierre “JP” Vuillermet and his staff serve French cuisine sourced from local organic produce, fish, meats, and artisanal cheeses. JP notes: “Sourcing from local farms and suppliers goes back to my roots in France. You had to have this network if you wanted to work with fresh ingredients and feature what was truly seasonal from the region.”
Photo credit: Cooks&Books&Recipes
Several ingredients immediately attracted me to this recipe: baby greens (they’re my favorite for any salad)*; beautiful radishes (two varieties); olives (for the husband, if I’m being honest); and (hold the phone!) mini baguette slices topped not only with cheese but with my favorite — goat cheese. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t procure goat cheese from Beltane Farm, but if you’re in Connecticut, lucky you!
Looking at the cookbook photo and my photos, you may spot some differences. Aside from the fact that my photos are decidedly nonprofessional (let’s overlook that, please), another difference is that I have two different types of “cheese croutons.” I made the toasted baguette slices with goat cheese, but I also tried coating rounds of goat cheese in panko and pan-frying them, as I’d read somewhere, in some recipe, earlier in the week. I’d been looking for an excuse to try the second version. I loved both, though I think the baguette slices gave more substance to the salad overall.
Also, I realized later that the recipe itself did not actually include the radishes. I admit that I was too busy enjoying the salad and didn’t even notice the missing radishes until later, but I am absolutely using several varieties next time. I like the idea of the pop of color and crunch and taste. Also, as I look at the photos, it seems that I added shaved Parmesan cheese. How’d that happen? I’m hoping maybe Chef Vuillermet would be OK with that…
The ingredients list specifies “mesclun greens.” What are those, you may be asking? This is simply the phrase used in Provence, France, for a mix of small young salad greens. But “mesclun” does sound fancier, doesn’t it?
Find the recipe for Salad of Mixed Baby Greens with Goat Cheese here.
Originally published at www.cooksandbooksandrecipes.com on June 9, 2015.
