Sunday lunch

I love goat cheese. If I had my way, I would probably eat it every day and at every meal. I had come across this recipe the other day on foodnetwork.com, but realized that it was in one of my cookbooks that I haven't used for my blog yet.This is a salad that you would find in a fancy restaurant, but it's not hard to make. I used my own version of a mustard vinaigrette instead of hers since I didn't have all the ingredients. But I have no measurements for my own vinaigrette (I just throw in some fancy mustard, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper to taste). If you love goat cheese, give it a try.

Salad with Warm Goat Cheese adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties!
serves 6

1 (11-ounce) log plain or herbed Montrachet (or any good goat cheese)
2 extra-large egg whites, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Fresh white bread crumbs (I used panko crumbs since that's what I had)

2 tablespoons good cider vinegar
2 tablespoons good Champagne vinegar
Pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 extra-large egg yolk
1 cup good olive oil
Enough mixed salad greens for 6 servings
Olive oil and unsalted butter, for frying

Slice the Montrachet into 12 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. (The easiest way to slice goat cheese is to use a length of dental floss.) Dip each slice into the beaten egg whites, then the bread crumbs, being sure the cheese is thoroughly coated. Place the slices on a rack and chill them for at least 15 minutes.

For the dressing, place the vinegars, sugar, salt, pepper, and egg yolk in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and blend for 1 minute. With the motor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube until the vinaigrette is thickened. Season, to taste.

Toss the salad greens with enough dressing to moisten, then divide them among 6 plates.
Melt 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat until just under smoking. Cook the goat cheese rounds quickly on both sides until browned on the outside but not melted inside. Top each salad with 2 warm rounds and serve.