Serves 4
This is a great Autumn salad using Oregon pears and hazelnuts.
Preheat oven to 400F
Ingredients:
6 ounces soft goat cheese Divide into four balls and pat into disks
1 cup toasted bread crumbs
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
4 large handfuls of mixed greens Balsamic vinaigrette
2 ripe pears, sliced
Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1 cup olive oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
Preparation:
Dissolve salt in 1/4 cup vinegar, add garlic and whisk in olive oil-add pepper and adjust seasoning, possibly adding more vinegar, salt or pepper.!
Finely chop 1/4 cup hazelnuts and add to the bread crumbs. Roughly chop remaining 1/4 cup and save for a garnish.
Roll goat cheese disks in crumb-nut mixture, press to adhere.
Slice pears into thin wedges, removing stems and seeds.
Place goat cheese in an oven proof baking dish and place in oven approximately 5-7
minutes or until the cheese is warm but not completely melted.
While the cheese is baking, toss the greens with a third of the dressing (you may want to
add more dressing to taste) and mound onto four plates.
Place hot goat cheese in the center of the greens and garnish with sliced pears and
toasted nuts.
Thanks to Merianne Myers for this recipe.