Warm Goat Cheese and Raspberry Salad
Warmed and crispy goat cheese and almond rounds combine with greens and raspberries in this fabulous Warm Goat Cheese and Raspberry Salad with Raspberry Dressing.
I’m sure I’m not alone in that I’ve put recipes on the blog and sort of forgot about them, am I? I like to make new things and that quest will too often mean something that deserves being made again goes lacking. This Warm Goat Cheese and Raspberry Salad is a great example.
For this month’s Progressive Eats theme of ‘Salads’ I decided to share this fantastic salad again that admittedly I haven’t made in too many years. Every time I make it I promise myself I won’t let that happen again. And we won’t even discuss the twelve year old photos. Yes, good time for sure!
A gift of some goat cheese brought it to mind recently and the purchase of an abundance of raspberries sealed the deal. Goat cheese is wonderful with fruit and the warm, tangy cheese coated with crisp almonds in a salad topped with raspberry dressing is pretty much perfect.
If you read my last post for this Sparkling Raspberry, Vodka, and Honey Cocktail you would know that this was one of those times I had to get back on the horse or give up on raspberries forever!
This salad trifecta of baked goat cheese coated with sliced almonds combined with fresh raspberries are perfect together. So simple, so beautiful and so very good. I love the blend of tastes and textures that the warm cheese and crispy almonds bring to mixed green, green onions, and raspberries, all drizzled with a sweet/tart raspberry dressing.
The dressing does give you a variance with the amount of sugar, however, with the inclusion of the berries in the salad and the tangy component of goat cheese I go for the whole half cup…you need that bit of sweetness in the dressing for balance. You will have leftover dressing. Be very happy about that; I use it on other salads with fruits as well.
I made one other big change too. As we have done over the years with so many other things, I wanted to cut back on the olive oil. It was as easy as cutting it in half and adding some cold water; in the blender it all emulsified easily. I think tastes better too. How would I remember?
Well, I made it as directed from all those years ago but thought I would experiment with some Cherry Balsamic Vinegar that I have. Big mistake. Sure it tasted fine but the dressing was brownish red, not that beautiful raspberry color.
And I thought it a bit heavy on the olive oil. So I decided to punt and make a second batch. While I do love fresh berries, I used frozen ones for the dressing; that’s one way to insure I can have berries available for recipes without the fear of overnight spoiling.
I cut the olive oil in half; the taste was fine but the dressing a bit thick, so a couple of tablespoons of cold water blended in made it perfect. Whether I have goat cheese on hand or not, I need to make this dressing a regular in the rotation; it’s better than any raspberry dressing I’ve ever purchased.
When I first transferred this salad from my original food website I started in 1994 to this blog several years ago; I did a search to see if I could find the original recipe. If not something gleaned from a recipe card (in the ‘olden’ days, people put recipes on index cards and stored them in boxes…it’s true!), then often the recipes I loved and posted were from either Gourmet or Bon Appetit magazines.
I was delighted when my search discovered the exact recipe at Bon Appetit, one of their reader requested RSVP recipes from the August, 2001 issue. I guess I have been making this for awhile haven’t I?
The RSVP recipes were always a favorite; that someone had enjoyed a dish enough to write Bon Appetit to see if the restaurant would give them the recipe always ended up with something that turned out fantastic; I made a recipe from that section every month!
Even then it seems my tendency to have to change something was at play; it was simple revision but I loved the addition of fresh berries scattered on the salad with the goat cheese; not just present in the dressing. Either way we think it’s a perfect salad and I love it as an entrée but for a more robust dinner, it’s great served with grilled salmon or chicken. Truly Bon Appetit!
Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. This month’s theme is Summer and Fall Salads, and our host is Jane who blogs at The Heritage Cook.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats it’s a virtual party. A theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out. Come along and see all of the delicious and inspired dishes! This month we have focused on salads only…enjoy!
Summer and Fall Salads
- Roasted Fall Veggie Salad – The Red Head Baker
- Polenta Caprese Stackers – Shockingly Delicious
- Spinach, Almond and Berries Salad – That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Antipasta Pasta Salad – The Heritage Cook
- Mixed Greens with Peach and Corn Salad – Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Easy Cole Slaw – Mother Would Know
- Simple Vegan Chickpea Salad with Olives – The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Brussels sprouts Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette – Sarah’s Cucina Bella
- Goat Cheese Salad with Raspberry Dressing – Creative Culinary (You’re Here!)
PIN IT! ‘Warm Goat Cheese and Raspberry Salad’
Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Raspberry Dressing
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ⅔ cup frozen raspberries thawed OR 2/3 cup fresh raspberries
- ¼ to ½ cup sugar to suit your taste I prefer it on the sweet side; it has to be a bit sweet otherwise the tang of the dressing doesn't balance with the tang of goat cheese; too much pucker power altogether!
- ¼ cup sherry or red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons minced green onion
- 1 Tablespoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons cold water
For the Goat Cheese Rounds
- 2 5- ounce logs soft fresh goat cheese each cut into 4 round slices
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 2 teaspoons butter melted
For the Salad
- 6 ounces mixed greens about 8 cups lightly packed
- ½ pint raspberries about 20
- 1 Tablespoon poppy or black sesame seeds Optional
Instructions
- Blend first 7 ingredients in processor. With processor running, gradually add oil.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Pat each goat cheese slice to 1/2-inch thickness.
- Whisk egg and 1 tablespoon water in small bowl to blend. Place flour in another small bowl. Place almonds in shallow dish.
- Roll goat cheese slices in flour, then dip into egg mixture, then roll in almonds to coat, pressing gently to adhere.
- Place cheese in glass baking dish; drizzle lightly with butter.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake until almonds are lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
- Divide greens among 4 plates. Top each with 2 warm cheese rounds and fresh berries. Drizzle with dressing, sprinkle with poppy seeds and serve.
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I do that too! When you’ve been blogging as long as we have, how could you not? In any case, I am so glad you posted this for Progressive Eats. I missed it the first time around, but the warm, cool, creamy, bright combination sounds amazing — even better than when I put warm mozzarella sticks on salad to approximate the flavors and feel of warm, breaded goat cheese on salad.
I could probably update for the next year and nothing else and fill my schedule; sometimes I’m flabbergasted that I forgot something that I really loved…like this salad!
The warm goat cheese is so good; and making those rounds is a bit extra but so worth it!
Some salads never go out of style, and this is one of them. I love these goat cheese rounds, and the dressing sounds delicious! I like to make a few dressings to just have on hand, and this looks perfect to be one of them!
It made enough to fill a whole bottle…I’m enjoying it almost every day!
This is such a beautiful and decadent salad, I love the changes you’ve made to the dressing to lighten it up a bit. And using frozen berries in the dressing is so smart, now we can enjoy this all year long!
Thanks Jane…it really is a pretty thing! I’ve been forced to keep more frozen fruits on hand…so now trying to find creative ways to use them. This one was pretty perfect.
Those goat cheese rounds with the almonds sound amazing. I do remember the RSVP section of Bon Appetit. It was my favorite too!
What’s not to love about this gorgeous salad?!!! The dressing is vibrant and delicious and the warm goat cheese makes it so elegant and gourmet! A winner!
The two are definitely a great pairing…now or OMG 20 years ago!
I love this combo. Obviously, living in France we eat warm, creamy goat cheese – breaded or baked – on salads but I love the fruity addition of raspberries both whole and in the dressing. Gorgeous and what a festive lunch, really…. kicks up the same old goat cheese salad!
Yes. I agree and I agree . It’s easy to forget some recipes AND berries brighten most any salad. GREG
Mmm…I love goat cheese on salads! This looks divine, especially with the raspberry dressing. Delicious!!
Divine is the word; it’s one of my favorites. Again! 🙂
I still have my recipe cards and many of them have drips or slobs all over them. My favorites are the ones in my father’s handwriting of recipes I’d written home about.
Your salad with the addition of berries looks smashing.
I feel like all I eat during the Summer time are salads 🙂 Here is another one I can add to the list 🙂 Looks so good.
Lovely, lovely salad with beautiful flavors! This and your avocado-orange salad posted recently are two winners and much appreciated additions to my salad recipe collection.
Love your Wayback Wednesday feature! And love this salad — goat cheese in anything sure gets my attention. Lovely dressing, too. Thanks for this.
That looks totally delicious and amazing! It is going in my to make and eat list! Thanks Barb!
Went to the store for goat cheese, got it =) BUT ended up eating goat cheese on crackers with pear relish. I liked the pear relish so much, I think I learn to can things this summer. Now I am going to spend time looking for canning for beginners articles. You are so very right though. The tang of goat cheese pairs very well the sweet of the relish.
Made me chuckle out loud. There will be another day I’m sure but pear relish sounds divine.
Barb, I love this combo – and your photos are absolutely stunning! I want to crawl right in there with the crusty, melty cheese!
I think goat cheese goes amazing with salads. I like it with beet and oranges and arugula.
Happy 4th of July weekend.
I’ve seen it used with beets a fair amount; combining with oranges sounds wonderful…I’m going to be on the lookout for beets. I did them last year and they so removed the bad taste of the canned ones from my memory bank!
I think goat cheese is my favorite cheese and I’ve found so many ways to enjoy it when I cook. The raspberry dressing on this salad sounds wonderful! I need to drag my bottle of raspberry vinegar from the back of the pantry once in a while — or better — try this version!
I love this dressing too and admit…I’ve had three of those salads in the last three days…though the vinegar will keep the dressing stable for a bit; I always feel inclined to have to use it relatively fast…or that’s my excuse for eating this salad every day!
I have a fried goat cheese salad recipe that I love dearly, and blogged about. It has a poppyseed dresssing. Love having another recipe, so thanks for posting this. I’m liking the baking rather than frying part … and the dressing sounds divine.
The oven baking is one reason I love it too Lea Ann and though the recipe calls for it, I actually forgot to drizzle the butter on top and it was fine; I’m OK with saving those calories for something else.
There’s nothing better than warm, slightly melty goat cheese on top of a salad! My mouth is watering!
Exactly! Well, except to pair it with a fruity dressing. 🙂
I’m pretty certain that this salad was made for me. I LOVE every single element about it and now I’m seriously planning on this for dinner tomorrow. I am so happy you shared this one with us!
I feel exactly the same way Jamie; hope you love it as much as I do!
You salad looks fantastic. Your photo deserved kudos. Great work on both accounts.
Thanks my dear friend; I’ll have to make one for us, how’s that!
Encrusted goat cheese? You are calling my name! This salad looks so good and different I might forget I was eating a salad. Yum!
Made me chuckled. I will never call you Leslie. Encrusted goat cheese it is!
How refreshing, colorful and healthy that platter look! Love the fruit and cheese combo in summer.
Thank you Sanjeeta and consider me lucky OK. I have just enough cheese leftover to have another salad tonight. I LOVE leftovers!
Gasp! I love this idea…I’m always looking for little goodies to add to my salads to make them more exciting! Thanks for sharing!!!!
I’m so glad it’s appealing to you. The end result is simple, beautiful and tasty. What more could we ask for right?
This post makes me want to start a new blog and just post my all time favorites. Guess I could do a post about that. Love how the first picture highlights the dressing!
Oh I just run them all together in this one space. New, old and all those in between! I will never get everything I had done for the other blog replicated here but sometimes they are such a favorite I have to make sure I do. Like this salad!
I love breaded and seared cheese, especially goat cheeses. This is one breathtakingly beautiful salad. By the way, Goat challenge? Is there anything left that hasn’t been turned into a challenge? So, I was thinking of starting up a Liver Wednesday….
Make that Yak. I’m sure we’ve got some Tibetan food bloggers out there! The Snack on Yak challenge! Might have to make it a twice a year kind of challenge, as Yak might be hard to come by ;D
I’m not one to shy from a challenge…so don’t be tempting me now! Although a pricey challenge I fear:
1. Book trip to Asian mountain village.
2. Find yak and figure out how to get back to US.
2. Give up and do something easy like climb Mt. Everest.
I don’t think you could have captured a better picture (s) of this salad than what you have posted. It is delicious looking!
Thanks so much Paula. You know everyone has an idea of how it should be done but it’s such a thoroughly individual thing. I like seeing the food; up close and personal. Guess this is Barb’s style, huh? You are always so sweet; it’s very appreciated!
Those look fabulous! Loving the goat challenge =) Hoping to get some soon!!
@alanecooke
Should be fun Alan…I know where to get my goat but don’t have a clue what I’m going to make so it’s a challenge for sure!
Delightful! I have made something similar in the past but the goat cheese was pan fried. This sound so much easier and less messy.
Oh yeah…SO much easier. I even put a piece of foil in the dish I bake it in…no cleanup at all!
This looks right up my alley Barb. As our weather hits summer stride, I can’t bear the idea of turning on my oven and am swimming in greens and fresh fruit. Glad your brought this recipe into new light!
This would be perfect then Toni…this is my favorite combination because I so love raspberries but I’ve also done it with strawberries and that runs a very close second. I’ve changed my schedule the past couple of weeks and make food in the morning when it’s cool so I did put this in the oven for the short period required but I wouldn’t hesitate to try it in my grill with ambient heat. I’m doing that more and more. Seems only thing I haven’t done there are baked goods!
That is a lipsmackingly good combination! A delightful dressing.
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you Rosa! It is all of that with a little pucker power thrown in!