Winter Greens Salad with Oranges & Goat Cheese (or Spring Greens with Strawberries & Goat Cheese)
from William-Sonoma Kitchen
This refreshing salad combines three members of the chicory family (frisée, radicchio and Belgian endive), which have a pleasantly bitter taste. Oranges add a note of sweetness, while goat cheese lends a creamy texture. This dressing is excellent!
*Spring Variation: This salad is also good made with spring greens and lettuces in place of the winter greens, and slices of strawberries in place of the oranges. I often make this for Easter using a Strawberry Vinaigrette.
Also see Arugula and Strawberry Salad with Warm Goat Cheese, another recipe I found that looks really good and uses a strawberry vinaigrette.
For the Champagne vinaigrette:
1 Tbsp. Champagne or white wine vinegar
Zest of 1/2 orange
1 Tbs. fresh orange juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. mayonnaise
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
For the Salad:
8-oz. log of goat cheese
1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
1 head frisée, leaves torn
1/2 head radicchio, thinly sliced
4 Belgian endive, thinly sliced
4 oranges, peeled and segmented
Preheat an oven to 350ºF.
To make the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, mayonnaise, olive oil, salt and pepper and whisk until emulsified. Set aside.
Cut the goat cheese into 1-oz. rounds. Using your fingers, carefully reshape any uneven rounds. Put the pecans in a breading pan or small bowl. Roll the goat cheese rounds in the pecans, pressing lightly so they adhere, then transfer to a baking sheet. Bake until the cheese is just soft and warm, 5 to 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine the frisée, radicchio and endive. Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat the greens evenly. Divide among 8 salad bowls or plates. Using a metal spatula, transfer 1 goat cheese round to each salad and garnish with the orange segments. Serve immediately.
Serves 8.
