Tomato And Goat Cheese Salad With Basil Vinaigrette Recipes

TOMATO AND GOAT-CHEESE SALAD WITH BASIL VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• In a blender, combine basil, oil, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon water. Blend until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
• With dental floss or a warm knife (wiped clean after each slice), thinly slice cheese. Arrange tomatoes and goat cheese on a serving plate; drizzle with dressing to taste. Serve garnished with basil leaves.

ROASTED TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Halve and seed the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Lay the tomatoes on a baking rack set over a cookie sheet in the 300 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the skins slip off easily. Remove the tomatoes from the oven, slip off their skins, and brush the tomato halves lightly with olive oil. Return the tomatoes to the oven to roast for an additional hour or until they take on a brilliant, burnished color.
• Meanwhile, slice the Montrachet log into 12 equal-size disks. Dredge each disk of goat cheese with flour then egg then seasoned bread crumbs. Heat a saute pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and quickly cook the cheese on both sides. When all the cheese has been cooked in this manner, divide them among 4 salad plates, alternating slices of goat cheese and roasted tomato halves.
• Combine the remaining olive oil with the balsamic vinegar, toss the salad greens with the vinaigrette and place some salad alongside each serving of tomatoes and cheese.

TOMATO STEAK WITH BAKED GOAT CHEESE AND HERB SALAD

Steps:

• In a small, shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs with salt and pepper, to taste. In another small, shallow bowl, beat the egg just until blended. Dip each goat cheese round in the egg, and then in bread crumbs, patting the crumbs in place. Cover and refrigerate the coated cheese rounds for about 15 minutes.
• Center the tomato slices on 4 salad plates and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat and pour in 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil is almost smoking, add the cheese rounds. Cook until lightly browned, about 45 seconds. Turn them over and cook on the other side until the cheese just feels quivery, about 45 seconds longer, depending on the thickness of the rounds. Place a cheese round on each tomato slice.
• In a bowl, toss the herbs with a light drizzle of olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mound the herbs on top of the cheese, dividing them evenly. Serve immediately.
• Michael's Notes: This salad looks best when the tomato slice and the goat cheese slice are about the same size. So if you can only find goat cheese in small logs, you may want to serve 2 goat cheese rounds to each diner and perch them on slices of smaller tomatoes.
• Be sure you take all the stems off the herbs carefully so your guests can enjoy just the soft leaves.

TOMATO BASIL SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients and allow to blend for 20 minutes.
• Delicious on its own or served on a bed of lettuce. Also good on crunchy bread or crackers.

LENTIL, TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Cook lentils in partially covered pot until they are tender but not mushy, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Slice onion into rings about 1/4-inch thick. Prepare stove-top grill, and grill onion, turning once or twice.
• Wash, trim and cut white part from leek; mince white part.
• Wash, trim and chop fennel bulb.
• Heat olive oil in small nonstick skillet, and saute leek and fennel until fennel softens.
• Wash, trim and slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices, and place in bowl with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, mixing to coat well.
• Mince garlic.
• When lentils are cooked, drain and rinse. Stir in leek, fennel, garlic and remaining balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
• Slice cheese, and heat at 400 degrees in toaster oven for a couple of minutes, until it begins to bubble.
• Wash, dry and chop basil; stir 2 tablespoons into lentils.
• Arrange lentil mixture on serving platter. Top with tomatoes. Place grilled onions in center, place cheese rounds on top of tomatoes, sprinkle with basil.

GRILLED TOMATO, BASIL, AND GOAT CHEESE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Cut baguette crosswise in half. Cut each half lengthwise in half to form 4 pieces total. Combine oil, garlic, and herbs in small bowl. Brush all cut sides of bread with half of oil mixture.
• Grill bread, cut sides down, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Remove from grill. Quickly spread cut sides of toast with goat cheese. Top with tomatoes and olives, dividing equally. Drizzle remaining oil mixture on top.
• Return open-face sandwiches to grill. Cook until bottom sides are toasted, cheese melts, and tomatoes begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Cut each sandwich diagonally in half and serve.

TOMATO SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Cover each plate with a layer of mesclun or mixed greens. Place sliced tomatoes on top. Salt generously.
• Mix the dressing ingredients into an emulsion.
• Crumble the goat cheese onto the tomato slices.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour dressing on top lightly and add the chopped parsley or basil.

TOMATO-BASIL SALAD

Steps:

• Place tomato slices around the edge of a plate overlapping slightly, tucking in halved onion slices and basil leaves between tomato slices. Put shredded mozzarella cheese in center of plate.
• Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl; drizzle over tomatoes.