Salad of Arugula, Strawberries, Baked Goat Cheese & Candied Spiced Pistachios

From the blog For Love of the Table

6 oz. soft, Montrachet-style goat cheese

Olive oil

A few sprigs of thyme or winter savory, if you like

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 to 1/3 c. fine, dry toasted breadcrumbs

3 to 4 oz. arugula, or arugula mixed with baby lettuces

1/4 to 1/3 c. very finely sliced (on a long bias) white and pale green of spring onion, soaked in ice water for 5 minutes and blotted dry

8 to 10 oz. strawberries—preferable on the smallish side (about a half ounce each), rinsed, dried, hulled & quartered

1 recipe Candied Spiced Pistachios

White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Cut the log of goat cheese into four slices. It is likely the slices will be a bit misshapen, so use your hands to form the slices into 4 neat, 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick disks. If time permits (or you are thinking ahead) place 1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a shallow pan. Add a few herb sprigs and a f ew grindings of black pepper. Place the goat cheese rounds in the seasoned oil and turn to coat. Let marinate for an hour or so (or overnight in the fridge), turning once or twice. If you don’t want to marinate the goat cheese, simple drizzle the rounds with just enough olive oil to coat. Place the breadcrumbs on a small plate or in a small dish. Coat the goat cheese with the breadcrumbs. Place the goat cheese rounds on a lightly oiled baking sheet or dish. When ready to serve the salad, bake the cheese in a preheated 400° oven for about 6 minutes, until the cheese is softened and lightly bubbling at the edges.

While the cheese is baking, place the lettuces, spring onions and strawberries in a large bowl. Season the greens with salt & pepper. Drizzle with a few spoonfuls of the vinaigrette. Use a sparing hand, you can always add more. Toss until everything is lightly coated. Add more vinaigrette if necessary. Add the pistachios and toss to distribute. Divide the salad among four plates. When the cheese is ready, use a small spatula to transfer it to the plates. Nestle the soft rounds alongside the piles of greens and strawberries. Serve immediately with crusty bread or toasts.

Serves 4

Candied Spiced Pistachios

1/2 c. pistachios

2 T. sugar

1/4 t. each black peppercorns, coriander seed, & fennel seed, coarsely crushed in a mortar & pestle

Kosher salt

Spread the pistachios on a small, lightly oiled baking sheet (or in a pie tin) and toast in a 350° oven until hot through—about 5 minutes. The goal isn’t so much to fully toast the nuts as to get the process started—they will continue to toast in the caramelized sugar. The goal is to get them hot. If they are not hot when they are added to the caramel, the mixture will seize into a tight blob. The goal is separated pistachios, coated with a light crust of spiced caramelized sugar.

Two or three minutes before the nuts come out of the oven, scatter the sugar in a small non-stick sauté pan (one that will just hold the pistachios in a single layer) and set over high heat. Shake the pan occasionally to keep the sugar distributed. It will begin to melt and turn to caramel almost simultaneously. When the sugar has turned to liquid caramel, sprinkle the spices over the caramel and then scatter in the hot nuts. Using a lightly oiled heat proof spatula to strategically stir and turn the nuts, helping them to become coated in a thin film of caramel. Reduce the heat if the caramel starts to smoke. The nuts will want to stick together, but just continue to stir, turn, and separate them with the spatula until the nuts are mostly evenly coated. Transfer back to the oiled sheet and use the oiled spatula to spread them out, separating them as much as possible. Some will persist in sticking, but they should break up fairly easily once the caramel has cooled. Let cool and then finish breaking them up. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Alternatively: Combine the sugar and the spices and set aside. Place the pistachios in a non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Toast the nuts stirring frequently, until they are fragrant. Begin to sprinkle the sugar mixture over the nuts as you simultaneously shake the pan back and forth. The sugar will immediately begin to caramelize and coat the nuts. Continue to sprinkle the sugar and shake the pan until the nuts are nicely glazed with the spiced caramel. Immediately spread the nuts on a greased cookie sheet to cool.

White Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 T. White Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 t. (slightly mounded) Dijon mustard

1/8 t. Kosher salt

1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Place the vinegar, mustard and salt in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add the olive oil in a thin stream while whisking constantly. Taste and correct the seasoning. The vinaigrette should be tangy and slightly sweet. Store any leftovers in the fridge. Re-whisk before using.

http://www.forloveofthetable.com/2019/06/spring-salad-of-arugula-strawberries.html

As published on forloveofthetable.com