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vegetable - cheese, goat, appetizer, salad

 

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These recipes are for your personal use only and may not be added in any form to archives or other works. 

 

Fried Goat Cheese with Apple Slices and Walnuts 

Slices of log shaped goat cheese encased in a crispy crust and fried briefly, bedded on salad leaves of your choice and garnished with thin apple slices and walnuts.  Drizzle with a delicious vinaigrette and this impressive appetizer is done and served in minutes.  I don't suggest rocket greens for this as the characteristic flavour will compete with the goat cheese - choose salad greens that are decorative and mild.    Use your favourite vinaigrette to drizzle over or my Honey-Apple Vinaigrette included in this recipe. 

serves 4

 

4 slices goat log goat cheese, 1 cm thick.

+ - 8 T. bread crumbs

a little flour

1 lg. egg  (or two small)

oil for frying

1 red apple

12 walnuts

selection of salad greens such as curly frisee (endive), butter lettuce (Boston) and a red type of lettuce to arrange on serving plates

 

your favourite vinaigrette or mine - 

Honey-Apple Vinaigrette:

125 ml. apple cider vinegar

125 ml. apple juice

125 ml. light olive oil or

half olive oil and half nut oil

2 t. mild honey

1/8 t. dry mustard

salt, pepper

 

Prepare the vinaigrette.  Arrange the salad leaves on plates.  Wash the apple well, core but retain the peel.  Slice about 6 thin slices per serving (24 for 4 servings).  Lay in a deep dish with a little water with lemon juice to preserve the colour until needed.

 

Cut the cold goat cheese with a wet knife, rewetting for each slice. Allow them to come to room temperature before proceeding.

 

Heat over medium high a small, deep pan with enough oil to half way cover the slices.  Test with a bit of bread.  If it frys and sizzles immediately, it is hot enough.

 

Take three deep dishes and into one beat the egg.  Place the flour into one and the bread crumbs into the other dish. 

 

Press one round into the flour and shake off excess (this helps everything else to adhere better.  Then dip into the egg ensuring the edge is also covered.  Immediately press gently but firmly into the bread crumbs both sides, insuring that the edge is also coated.  Dip again quickly into the egg and repeat coating in the bread crumbs.  Place into the hot oil and immediately repeat for each slice (dipping in egg, coating and repeating). 

 

Tip:  repeating the egg/breadcrumb step twice ensures for a thick, crispy crust.  Very nice but not crucial - you can dip in egg/breadcrumbs once if you prefer. 

 

Remember which slice you placed in the oil first.  Allow to cheese to fry about 1 minute per side until golden to light brown (use two turners to easily turn over).  Remove with a slotted turner and allow to drain on paper toweling.  Keep in a warm oven until all are done.

 

Tip:  the length of time really depends on how thick the slices are.  Thinner need only 30 seconds or so.  Personally I prefer about 1 cm. (a little less than half inch).

 

Drain and pat the apple slices dry .  Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, lay a slice of cheese in the middle and garnish with the apple slices and walnuts.

 

Serve with a robust red wine and baguette bread as a starter.


All recipes are excerpts from "Welcome to My Kitchen" - The Epicurean Table and are copyright of the author.  Recipes are not to be 

added to any form of archive or other works of any kind.  Contact the author for further information.  

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