Mixed Greens w/Goat Cheese Rounds

This is a simple, yet elegant salad. I made this for New Year's Eve dinner.

Dressing:

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon style mustard
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup walnut oil

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk in the walnut oil until emulsified. Set aside or refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.

Salad Ingredients:

Mixed baby greens

In a large bowl, toss the lettuce with the vinaigrette. Place salad mixture on four individual salad plates. Top with two goat cheese rounds per plate.

Goat Cheese Rounds:

1 soft goat cheese log
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
1/4 cup almonds, ground

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the goat cheese into 1/2-inch slices - eight slices total. Pour olive oil into a small bowl or saucer; dip goat cheese slices into olive oil and coat both sides of each cheese slice.

In another small bowl or saucer, combine bread crumbs and nuts; dip the goat cheese slices into the crumb mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place the cheese rounds on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake approximately 5 minutes or until the cheese softens slightly and the crust turns golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer rounds to individual salads (two per plate) with a spatula.

Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Notes:

- I doubled the dressing recipe to have extra on hand for another night.
- I used an electric mixer to combine the salad dressing ingredients.
- The cheese rounds will be very soft, so take care when transfering them to the plates.