Goat's Cheese Salad with Sweet & Sour Onions
Submitted by cpjp519
Grilled goat cheese salad with sweet-and-sour caramelized Spanish onions, sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, and mixed greens. A classic French bistro starter that eats like a full meal.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minA proper French bistro starter that shows up on the kind of menus printed in chalk. Rounds of goat cheese go under a hot grill until the tops blister with golden-brown freckles and the insides turn molten, then they land on dressed greens alongside sticky sweet-and-sour onions that turn the whole plate into a small miracle.
The dressing is the framework. A two-to-one blend of olive oil and sesame oil gets emulsified with red wine vinegar and sherry vinegar, then finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes go in to stand for about 15 minutes so they rehydrate and release their concentrated umami.
The onions are what pull this out of ordinary salad territory. Spanish onions cook slowly in butter and oil for 15 minutes until soft and lightly golden, then sherry vinegar and sugar go into the hot pan to bubble furiously into a syrup that clings to every ring.
Serve while the cheese is still warm and the onions still glossy. A glass of chilled rose next to it and you’re in a brasserie in Lyon.
Chef Tips
- Slice the onions thin (¼ inch or less) and uniform. Thick slices stay tough at the center while thin ones caramelize evenly.
- Use a hot grill, not a toaster oven or low broiler. You want quick color on the cheese tops without fully melting the rounds into puddles.
- Don’t dress the greens until the last second. Dressed leaves wilt fast and lose their crispness once the cheese hits the plate.
- Chill the goat cheese rounds briefly before slicing them. Room-temperature chevre crumbles under the knife.
Variations
- Swap goat cheese for Camembert or Brie wedges for a creamier, milder cheese finish.
- Add toasted walnuts or hazelnuts for crunch that plays against the soft cheese and syrupy onions.
- Use balsamic vinegar in place of sherry vinegar in the onion reduction for a deeper, more caramel-toned sweet-sour glaze.
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dressing by combining the vinegars and seasoning and then vigorously whisking in the combined oils to make a ‘creamy’ emulsion.
Chop the tomatoes very finely, add them to the dressing, and leave to stand on one side.
Peel the onions and slice them into rings, no more than ¼ inch thick preferably finer.
Put the oil and butter into a frying pan and heat over a moderate flame.
Once the butter has finished bubling, add the onion rings, stirring round until they are all well coated.
Cook for about 15 minutes, tossing and stirring frequently until the onions have softened and taken on a little colour.
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Slice the goats cheeses into halves.
Turn the grill on high.
Quickly dress the salad leaves with a little of the dressing and divide between 6 plates.
Then place the cheese halves on a baking tray, cut side up, and put under for about 5 minutes, or until the tops are covered with golden brown freckles and the cheese inside has started to melt.
Put the onions back over a high flame and, stirring continually, tip in the sherry vinegar and sugar.
Bubble furiously for a couple of minutes until you can see the juices have turned syrupy.
Remove from the heat and season lavishly with salt and pepper.
To serve, put a goat’s cheese half on each plate with the salad and then strew with the sweet and sour onions.
Finally, dress with another tablespoon of the dressing, making sure that each plate gets a good sprinkling of sun-dried tomatoes.
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