STRAWBERRY GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Honestly, I love this salad, which is weird because of for me salad and love hardly ever appear in the same sentence. It’s probably because it’s topped with fried cheese. Yes, I try to make it sound all sophisticated saying that it is goat cheese croutons. But who are we kidding here…IT’S FRIED CHEESE, and some really good fried cheese at that. I think the only true way to enjoy a salad is with some cheese. Honestly, if I were a server at a restaurant (or better yet if I owned my own restaurant), I would make it a rule that you aren’t allowed to order the salads without cheese (unless of course you are severely lactose intolerant).

Back to the point of the salad though, since this is a salad recipe and not a cheese one: Salads are an interesting folk. When you break it down, it just leaves. I took it as a sign that I was becoming a “grown up” when I actually started to enjoy the taste of leaves. For me, this wasn’t until late in college. If for you it was earlier in life, then you must be one of those sad people that I mentioned in my first post that have never had taco bell.

I think the second sign of growing up is being able to pair sweet and savory things and actually enjoy it. Fruits in salads used to sound as bad to me as a salad without cheese. Strawberries are meant for putting on top of rich, creamy chocolate mousse cakes, not for putting on top of leaves. Then I made this salad. First, I was filled with sadness, that I was actually enjoying leaves and fruits on top of leaves, that with every bite my youth was leaving (hehe…leave-ing…). Then I realized growing up isn’t all that bad if it means I can eat salads like this.

This post was definitely not intended to be this lengthy. Who knew there was so much to say about salads?

To match the youthful/grown up feel of this salad, I suggest some Passion Pit and Postal Service. The youthful, freshness you get from the strawberries coated in fresh lemon juice pairs well with the beats of these Passion Pit and Postal Service songs. If you really open your ears though and get passed the beats, you get a sense of depth from the lyrics. That depth can only be matched with some warm, melty fried goat cheese.

Materials:

2 cups salad greens

1 lemon

3-4 strawberries, sliced

1 tablespoon fresh basil,

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt/Pepper to taste

1 log goat cheese

2 eggs, whisked together with 2 tablespoons milk

1 cup bread crumbs

Methods:

1.     Cut goat cheese log into slices. Roll up the slices into rounds and then flatten.

2.     Coat goat cheese in egg mixture then coat in bread crumb mixture.

3.     Heat oil in a small pan and fried goat cheese croutons until a golden brown color.

4.     Assemble salad by combining basil, salad greens and strawberries in a bowl. Top with olive oil, juice of the lemon, salt and pepper, then toss.

5.     Place goat cheese croutons on top of salad and enjoy!

Extra Bits:

-This salad can be made into a meal by adding some pan-seared tofu or grilled chicken bits.

-To see more pictures of the steps, click on the above pictures to be linked to my flickr photostream.

Beats:

The Postal Service - Such Great Heights

The Postal Service - Brand New Colony

Passion Pit - It's Not My Fault I'm Happy

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Borgore Remix)

Passion Pit - I'll Be Alright