Friday, November 30, 2007

Crispy goat’s cheese, tomato and basil salad

Crispy goat’s cheese, tomato and basil salad

Another recipe by Donna Hay – from her magazine, issue #35, to be more specific.

I’m a huge fan of hers and those of you who have been around my blog for a while already know that – Joey and I go hand in hand in our love for Donna’s recipes! :)

I tried goat’s cheese for the first time while on vacation last September and can’t imagine how I had lived without it till then. I tried it on salads, quiche, sandwiches, pasta… And love everything. “Gotta start using it in my cooking”, I thought.

Joao brought it from the grocery store one day – I didn’t even know they had started selling it there – and I knew exactly where to look for a good recipe: Donna’s books and magazines.

What a delicious salad! I know that doesn’t sound much modest, but this is one of the best dishes I have ever cooked. The cheese was so good after the shallow-frying process: crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. The tomato + basil combination is always a winner and the dressing worked perfectly with all the ingredients – I was amazed by how great everything was together.

I don’t like to repeat recipes – there are so many new things to be tried, right? – but this is a salad I can see myself eating again, and again, and again…

aaWeekendHerbBlogging

This is my entry for the Weekend Herb Blogging, this time hosted by Simona, from Briciole.

Crispy goat’s cheese, tomato and basil salad

Crispy goat’s cheese, tomato and basil salad
from Donna Hay magazine

all-purpose flour for dusting
1 cup (110g/3 ¾oz) store-bought breadcrumbs
240g (8 ½oz) goat’s cheese, sliced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
1 cup basil leaves
1 bunch (100g/3 ½oz) rocket (arugula), trimmed

Balsamic dressing:
¼ cup (2fl oz) olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon caster sugar

To make the balsamic dressing, place the olive oil, vinegar and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

Place the flour and breadcrumbs on separate plates. Press the goat’s cheese slices into the flour, dip in the egg and press into the breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook the cheese for 1-2 minutes each side or until golden and crispy. Divide the cheese, tomatoes, basil and rocket between plates and drizzle over the balsamic dressing.

Serves 4

40 comments:

Peter M said...

Patricia, what a gorgeous salad and I too love grilling cheeses like this.

Too bad the presentation won't last long, dig in!

Manggy said...

Patricia, that's one of the best pictures you've ever taken! It's lovely! Fried cheese... Mmm... Like Homer Simpson :)
I agree, repeating recipes is boring!

Anonymous said...

This looks wonderful. I do miss garden tomatoes.

Deborah said...

What a beautiful salad! The crispy goat's cheese sounds wonderful.

Terry at Blue Kitchen said...

Basil AND rocket AND goat cheese?!? Omigod, this sounds wonderful, Patricia, a fabulous twist on the standard caprese salad. And your lovely photos totally do it justice.

Anh said...

Pat, what a lovely salad. The food presentation is beautiful, too!

pam said...

Patricia, I love your salad, it's so pretty! And I also love Donna Hay. Her recipes seems so simple, but still so flavorful!

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Welcome to the wonderful world of goat cheese! There is a whole range of goat cheese to explore, from the super creamy to the super tangy. Enjoy, enjoy!

test it comm said...

Nice looking salad! The fried goats cheese looks amazing.

Anonymous said...

Yum! I must make note of this recipe. ;-)

Paz

Unknown said...

I LOVE goat cheese! Especially fried. I used it in so many recipes that I had to back off of it for a while. This salad looks really fantastic. Nice work!

Dana said...

Ohhhh...fried goats cheese.... Love. It. So. Much.

Graeme said...

I can only imagine how good Brazilian tomatoes are, and with crispy Goat's cheese...

Yes.

Patricia Scarpin said...

Peter, I did dig in, my friend, and ate it all! :)

Mark, thank you! I'm such a fan of your beautiful photos, so this is quite a compliment!

Maryann, thank you!

Deb, thank you, sweetie!

Terry, I'm so glad you like the salad. The flavors were wonderful together.

Anh, tks, dear!

Pam, Donna Hay rules! :)
Thank you for your kind words.

Lydia, that cheese is totally addictive! :)

Kevin, thank you!

Paz, go ahead and try it, dear.

Erin, isn't it delicious? I can't wait to try a new recipe with it.

Dana, what's not to love, right? :)

Graeme, someday I want to live in a big house so I can grow my own tomatoes. :)

Karin W. said...

I agree with Lydia: Welcome to the wonderful world of goat cheese, Patricia! The cheese processing in my part of Sweden is often based on goat’s milk. But goat cheese is very expensive compared to other cheeses. Nothing you can afford to eat every day.

Simona Carini said...

A very interesting twist on the caprese salad: thank you! I am fortunate enough to have easy access to goat cheese.

Bri said...

Yum! Fried goat cheese! Yum! I will SO have to do that. I love just about anything crispy on the outside, gooey inside. I'm the say way, I never make the exact same thing, the exact same way twice. It's always at least a little different. I use goat cheese in my quiches too. It keeps the egg nice and moist, so they are fully cooked, but tender. I will definitely have to do this with goat cheese. Thanks for the inspiration!

Sophie said...

This is really pretty Patricia! I bet it would be good with griddled slices of halloumi too if you wanted to skip the breadcrumb stage

Wheeler's Frozen Dessert said...

this looks so good! i love the way it's arranged on the plate. yum! :)

Olivia said...

You're so lucky to have good tomatoes in December! And that fresh basil looks lovely in compliment to the red tomatoes and fried goat cheese.

Sara said...

The presentation is gorgeous!

Paola Westbeek said...

I adore goat's cheese! This salad looks fantastic! Something to try when the weather warms up!

paola

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

There are somethings, ingredient or a dish, that when you discover them, it is a revelation. Goat's cheese is such an ingredient.
You've done a beautiful presentation with this salad Patricia!

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Your salad is so beautifully presented, Patricia. Lovely for company.

Figs, Bay, Wine said...

Oh this is so gorgeous! It's so cold here, but I had to make a caprese salad yesterday! Just had a huge craving, and this looks even better. Missed your blog while I was on break!

Tijen said...

When I eat things like this (especially because of the greens), I feel refreshed, don't you?

Rita Sella said...

hhmmm... I like something crispy... any left for me ?? ^_^

desie said...

sounds absolutely delicious. i love goat's cheese and insalata caprese so this is a perfect fusion of the two. must try this soon.

Toni said...

This is a caprese salad worthy of the red carpet! I've never grilled the goat cheese before - what a great idea!

Gattina Cheung said...

mmm, mmm, mmm... I am feeling it! Crispy outside, melt-in-the-mouth inside. And look at you how elegantly did the layers, gorgeous!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Karin, it's not cheap here, either, my friend. But it's possible to buy it sometimes, thank heavens! :)

Simone, thank you for visiting - I'm glad you like the recipe!

Bri, I hope you do try it and like it, my dear!

Sophie, there's a cheese here in Brazil that is similar to halloumi - what a great idea you just gave me!

Hi, Wheeler's... thank you!

Olivia, it's almost summer here, sweetie, time for salads!

Sara, thank you, sweetie!

Paola, it's perfect for the summer!

Tanna, thank you, darling! If you like it, I'm happy!

Susan, you are so right - great for when we have people coming over for dinner or lunch!

Amanda, and I missed your posts. There are a couple of your recipes I'm willing to try after Christmas, when I'm not coming to work.

Tijen, I do feel refreshed and light!

Rita, thank you! Have some, please. ;)

Maybahay, let me know if you try it, please?

Toni, thank you, darling! You are far too kind. :)

Gattina, thank you! Donna's recipes are such great inspiration, I tried to do my best!

Hillary said...

This is such a creative twist on the caprese salad! It looks refreshing and tastttttyyyy!

sher said...

Crispy goat cheese--what could be better??? It looks delicious.

Barbara said...

That is a fabulous salad Patricia. Love your madeleines too.

A Scientist in the Kitchen said...

Ooohhh, this looks yummy!!!

Kalyn Denny said...

I just love goats cheese. This sounds fantastic.

ilingc said...

I love goats cheese and tomatoes. I also love how you presented the tomatoes, cheese and herbs together in layers. Looks absolutely delicious!

Lisa said...

Oh, my gosh -- the tomato-basil salad taken to a whole new level! I gotta have it! Beautiful photos, too...

Jaime said...

i, too, only recently discovered my love of goat cheese! i can't wait to try this salad!

evinrude said...

omg! this looks gorgeous! would love love love to try it soon. i'm so hungry right now!

ps. i'm so happy to find someone who's glad i'm back to blogging! thanks for dropping over at my "place"! i would hate to disappoint you =D

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