Tomato Salad With Goat Cheese And Pine Nuts Recipes

GOAT CHEESE, PESTO AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO TERRINE

Steps:

• In a small dry pan, toast the pine nuts over medium heat until lightly golden brown. Remove from the heat and pour onto a plate to cool. (The nuts will continue to cook after you remove them from the heat so be sure that you don't let them brown too much - they can easily burn!)
• Line a 2 cup bowl (try to use a bowl with sharply sloped sides) with a piece of plastic wrap. (Be sure to cut a large enough piece of plastic wrap that you have several inches of plastic wrap extended over the sides of the bowl.)
• In a large mixing bowl with a fork, mash together the goat cheese, ¼ cup of cream, salt and a few grinds of black pepper and mix until well blended. If the goat cheese seems very dry, add up to another ¼ cup of cream - you want the mixture to be soft but not soggy.
• Spoon about 1/3rd of the goat cheese into the lined bowl, pressing down gently with a spoon to pack the cheese into an even layer. The spread the pesto over the cheese covering it completely (you will want some of the basil to peak out of the finished terrine, so make sure the pesto reaches the outer edges). Then top the pesto with another 1/3rd of the cheese (I found it helpful to drop the cheese with a teaspoon all over the pesto and then gently spread to cover the pesto evenly). Next, add the sun-dried tomatoes in a layer and sprinkle with all but about ½ tablespoon of the toasted pine nuts. Finally, add the remaining layer of goat cheese.
• Fold the plastic wrap edges over the top of the final layer of cheese and gently pack down. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (may be refrigerated for longer).
• About a ½ hour before serving, remove the terrine from the refrigerator. Place the bowl in a shallow bowl of very warm water for about 30 seconds (you only want the warm water to go halfway up the bowl). Then pull on the edges of the plastic wrap to loosen the terrine from the bowl.
• Place your serving dish over the glass bowl, making sure that the plastic edges are not under the terrine. Then invert the terrine onto your serving dish. If the terrine does not slide out immediately, leave it inverted for about a minute to allow the weight of the terrine to break the suction in the bottom of the bowl. If it still doesn't come out, try placing the bowl in warm water again and repeat the above steps.
• Once the terrine is out, gently peel off the plastic wrap. Drizzle with a little olive oil and let sit for half an hour to warm up. Sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts and some freshly ground black pepper. Serve with crackers or sliced bread.

TOMATO SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Arrange tomato slices on a large plate or platter.
• Top with crumbled goat cheese, olive oil, pine nuts and fresh herbs.
• Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

CHERRY TOMATO SALAD

Steps:

• In a big bowl, combine cherry tomatoes, green olives, back olives, and spring onion.
• In a dry skillet, toast pine nuts over medium heat until golden brown, turning frequently. Stir into tomato mixture.
• In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over salad, and gently stir to coat. Chill for 1 hour.

ARUGULA-CHICORY SALAD WITH PINE NUTS AND GOAT-CHEESE TOASTS

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste and add oil in a slow stream, whisking.
• Toss arugula, chicory, pine nuts, and tomatoes in a large bowl with just enough vinaigrette to coat, then divide among 4 plates.
• Spread goat cheese on baguette slices and broil on a baking sheet 6 inches from heat until cheese is softened and edges of bread are golden, about 2 minutes.
• Arrange toasts on salads and drizzle any remaining vinaigrette over cheese.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD WITH CRUMBLED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Whisk mayonnaise, buttermilk, green onions, lemon juice, garlic, and salt for dressing together in a small bowl. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use if not serving immediately.
• Combine tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, salt, and pepper for salad in a bowl.
• Divide mixture between plates. Drizzle with dressing and top with crumbled goat cheese.