Salad with Goat Cheese Croutons

By LDenvir

Ingredients

• Salad:
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup pecans
• 6 to 8 cups mixed greens
• 1 ripe pear, such as D'anjou, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
• Vinaigrette:
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon country Dijon mustard
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Goat Cheese Croutons:
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• One 8-ounce log goat cheese
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

Preparation

Step 1

For the salad: Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool.

Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a large skillet over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool, then chop.

For the vinaigrette: Whisk together the champagne vinegar, orange juice, honey, Dijon and shallot in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil; season with some salt and pepper.

For the goat cheese croutons: Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the goat cheese into 8 equal rounds. Add to 3 shallow dishes, the flour, egg and panko. Coat each goat cheese round with flour, then egg and then panko, shaking off excess, and fry until golden on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a paper-towel lined rack or plate.

To assemble the salad, toss the greens, pear, pecans and tomatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with some vinaigrette and gently toss to fully combine. Divide the salad among 4 salad plates, top each with 2 goat cheese croutons, and serve.