dinner
Baby Kale Salad with Fried Goat Cheese & Balsamic Pomegranate Dressing
Recipe by: Noreen WastiBrightland's Chef in Residence, Noreen Wasti, has shared a zingy, crunchy and creamy salad recipe for the new year.
"The best vessel for hearty greens is a tangy, punchy salad dressing. This recipe uses Brightland’s RAPTURE balsamic vinegar with tart pomegranate molasses creating a glossy coating for this wintry salad. The real star is the fried goat cheese on top — it feels a little early 2000s, but trust me it’s good. Goat cheese rounds are coated in seasoned panko breadcrumbs and fried until crispy. No boring salads over here!" - Noreen Wasti
For the Balsamic Pomegranate Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 Tbsp Brightland RAPTURE balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
- ⅓ cup Brightland AWAKE olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
For the Fried Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp aleppo pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp nigella seeds
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 10 ounce log chèvre goat cheese, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds
- 1/4 cup Brightland AWAKE olive oil, for frying
For the Baby Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 5 ounces baby kale
- 1 large apple, sliced thinly in half moons
- ⅓ cup Brightland AWAKE olive oil
Instructions
- 1 Combine the shallot, RAPTURE vinegar, pomegranate molasses, AWAKE olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk until emulsified.
- 2 Set up a dredging station. Place flour in a dish and season with salt and pepper. In another dish, beat the egg with 1/4 cup of water and season with salt and pepper. Place panko breadcrumbs in a third dish with onion powder, aleppo pepper, oregano, nigella seeds, salt, and pepper — mix until combined.
- 3 Coat the goat cheese rounds in the flour, then the egg mixture, then the panko breadcrumbs — making sure each piece is breaded evenly. Repeat for remaining rounds.
- 4 Heat a pan over medium-high heat with AWAKE olive oil.
- 5 Fry the goat cheese rounds until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- 6 Lay the baby kale on a large platter and top with sliced apples.
- 7 Spoon the dressing evenly over the salad into all the layers.
- 8 Top with the warm crispy goat cheese rounds and serve immediately.
