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30-day challenge: a reward for completion of week one

I have a secret obsession (and admiration)... I love The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, and all her recipes (not to mention her property in New England - but I will save that bit of drooling for another time. Want to check out her Manhattan home in the meantime?) I think I have probably prepared at least 70% of her recipes and have yet to find one that is not absolutely. positively fantastic. Yes, YUM (with all caps).


Want to take a moment to play Six Degrees of Separation?
One of my all time favorite "Movie Houses"? Something's Gotta Give - Probably on the Top Ten List of most house addicts, right?




In Something’s Gotta Give, Ina Garten’s Hamptons store, The Barefoot Contessa, was the one that Diane Keaton’s character shops in (but it has since closed.) Cool, huh?




Photos and Information courtesy of Hooked on Houses

Back to the topic at hand....So, I thought I would offer a yummy reward to all who have made it through Week One of our 30-Day Challenge!  (ok, anyone can easily prepare this yummy salad and enjoy.)  This takes little to no time... but talk about presentation and taste. Ok, one last time - YUM! 

Here you go, "Congratulations on a Very Successful Week One". I am just sorry that I can't prepare this for you and we can all sit down together to enjoy the feast and share our week's tales of assignment accomplishments. 




Salad with Warm Goat Cheese


Ingredients for Warm Goat Cheese
  • 11 oz log plain or herbed goat cheese
  • 2 extra-large egg whites, beaten with 1 T water
  • Fresh white bread crumbs (make fresh in food processor)
  • Olive oil & unsalted butter

Ingredients for Dressing

  • 2 T good cider vinegar
  • 2 T good Champagne vinegar
  • Pinch sugar
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 extra-large egg yolk
  • 1 C good olive oil
Enough mixed salad greens for 6 servings

Directions
Slice the cheese 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 (or blender) 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 T oil and 1 T butter in a sauté 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.


Total Time: 30 min
Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive: 15 min
Cook Time: 5 min
Yields: 6 servingsvia


Please let me know what you think of the recipe!


Again, CONGRATULATIONS!
We will talk about this beautiful gem another time, promise!






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