Warm French Goat’s Cheese Salad Recipe
A warm and flavorful French goat’s cheese salad featuring golden crumbed goat cheese medallions, toasted pine nuts and walnuts, crispy bacon lardons, fresh lettuce and tomato, all drizzled with a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. Perfect as a sophisticated starter or light meal highlighting creamy cheese and crunchy textures.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Scale
Crumbed Goats Cheese Medallions:
- 2 x 60g / 2oz ripened goat’s cheese rounds, 5-6cm (2-2.2″) wide, ideally AOC
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup regular breadcrumbs or panko
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Salad:
- 2 tsp pine nuts
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 100g / 3.5oz streaky bacon, cut into 0.5 x 1.25cm lardons
- 1/2 head red oak or bibb lettuce, washed, dried, leaves torn into large pieces
- 1 large tomato, cut into 8 wedges
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped chives
Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 tsp very finely minced garlic
- 1 tbsp finely diced eschalot
- 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (high quality)
- 4 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (high quality)
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Slice Cheese: Cut goat’s cheese rounds to approximately 1.25cm (1/2″) thick if needed to ensure even crumb and cooking.
- Prepare Crumbing Stations: Place flour in one small bowl, whisked egg in a second, and breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
- Crumb Cheese: Coat each cheese round first in flour, shaking off excess. Dip into the egg, letting excess drip off, then press into the breadcrumbs to coat evenly. Set the crumbed cheese on a plate aside.
- Toast Nuts: Spread pine nuts and walnuts on a baking tray and toast in a preheated 180°C / 375°F oven for about 5 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Alternatively, toast separately in a skillet over medium heat (walnuts will take longer). Transfer nuts to a bowl to cool immediately.
- Cook Bacon: Place bacon lardons in a cold non-stick pan. Turn heat to medium and allow fat to render slowly, then increase heat to high and stir-fry bacon until golden and crisp. Drain excess fat on paper towels.
- Make Dressing: Combine minced garlic, diced eschalot, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt in a jar. Shake well to emulsify the vinaigrette.
- Assemble Salad Base: Place torn lettuce leaves in a bowl, arrange tomato wedges on top, then scatter with toasted nuts and cooked bacon lardons.
- Pan-Fry Cheese: Melt unsalted butter in a small non-stick pan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add crumbed goat cheese medallions and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on one side until golden. Carefully turn and cook for another minute until golden and warm inside. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Finish Salad: Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette over each salad. Place two warm crumbed goat cheese medallions on top. Sprinkle with finely chopped chives.
- Serve Immediately: Enjoy the salad warm, while the goat cheese is melty and rich.
Notes
- Note 1: Use AOC ripened goat’s cheese for authentic flavor, but other creamy goat cheese rounds will work.
- Note 2: Regular breadcrumbs give a crisp crust; panko can be used for extra crunch.
- Note 3: Red oak or bibb lettuce provides tender, crisp leaves; any mild, soft lettuce can substitute.
- Note 4: Eschalot can be replaced with small amounts of finely diced red onion if unavailable.
- Toast nuts carefully to avoid burning; walnuts require slightly longer to toast than pine nuts.
- Cooking bacon from a cold pan helps render fat and crisps the lardons evenly.
- Serve salad promptly after frying cheese to enjoy optimal texture and temperature.
Keywords: French salad, goat cheese salad, warm goat cheese, crumbed cheese, bacon salad, nutty salad, balsamic vinaigrette
