Salade d'hiver

salade d’hiver

2 green apples, peeled and shaved
1/2 of a celery root, peeled and shaved
1-2 large beets, peeled and shaved
8 radishes, shaved
2 cups rocket (arugula)
2 cups watercress
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Louisiana Hot Sauce ™ to taste
8 ounces goatmilk cream cheese, preferably Snofrisk™
2 shallots, peeled and diced
Zest from 2 clementines, satsumas or small oranges
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup panko crumbs
¼ cup ground pecans
½ cup prepared Maison Vinaigrette (see recipe index)

In a medium mixing bowl, toss beets, apple, and celery root with vinaigrette. Set aside.
Melt ½ the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne and a few drops of hot sauce. Allow the sugar/butter mixture to melt. When it starts to bubble, add pecans and toss to coat evenly. Cook over medium heat for approximately 1 minute. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
Break up goat cheese and incorporate the diced shallots and zest into the goat cheese. Season to taste with fresh pepper. Form goat cheese mixture into 8 small equal-sized patties.
In a small bowl or shallow pan, combine the panko and ground pecans. Coat goat cheese discs with flour, then dip them into lightly beaten egg, and then dip them into panko bread crumbs until coated completely.

Add olive oil to a large sauté pan and heat over medium heat until almost smoking. Add the goat cheese discs and cook for two minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy on the surface.

To assemble salad: In a large mixing bowl, dress the greens with vinaigrette. Arrange salad components in the following order distributing evenly among 4 chilled plates: dressed greens, chilled beet mixture, 2 warm cheese disc, toasted pecans. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Serves 4.

Foodie Find of the Week: Snofrisk

I know, I know...it's been forever since I did a Foodie Find of the Week. I have tried, I promise. It's just that all the products I tested fell short of what I would consider to be a "find". Some of them actually made me consider doing a "Run From This As Fast As You Can" weekly post. Last night,though, I found this. I have to confess: it was in an effort to avoid a step in the recipe I was developing for a Winter Salad (to be disclosed sometime in the near future). The crowning glory for my salad was to be a lightly breaded, crispy on the outside, creamy and oozy on the inside goat cheese disc. When planning out the recipe I initially decided that the way to achieve the oozy mild taste and texture of warm cream cheese was to obviously add...cream cheese. Well, half way through my market stop, I began to wonder if there was a such thing as goatmilk cream cheese, after all there's goat milk...goat butter...goatmilk ice cream, and if you're lucky to have a fully stocked market, goatmilk yogurt...shouldn't there be cream cheese, logically speaking I mean? I wonder this type of thing alot, mostly about cheese, and mostly because prior to my fall from grace as a vegan, I had forgone the cheese and my knowledge of the matter has significantly diminished. Anyways..after a little digging at Whole Foods, I can answer with authority. Yes, there should be and there is. Mission accomplished, so I took it home--two packages actually, partly because they were 4oz each and my concieved recipe called for 8oz, and mostly because they were "buy one, get one free". Score.

I was a little skeptical right off, as I usually am of products I wish existed and then magically land in my little fingers moments later. However, upon tasting the Snofrisk, all my skepticism was erased. It's creamy, mild, spreadable, and maintains the tartness of a good chevre. Perfection. It's sort of the Laughing Cow of Goat Cheese I guess...it even comes in a triangular container, larger of course than a wedge of Laughing Cow, but still...there's a resemblance. Come to think of it, it sort of resembles the flavor as well...only tinged with goat cheese and with the texture of really good cream cheese...or Creole Cream Cheese, yes, yes...that's it...creole cream cheese, only slightly thicker, and made from goat's milk. Super Score.

Go get some, you'll need two containers for the forthcoming Winter Salad recipe.
I guarantee you won't regret it.
Happy Thanksgiving!
~c