This colourful salad gets a decadent twist with fried goat cheese balls – perfect for summer entertaining.
Ingredients:
3 small heirloom beets
1 Asian pear (Korean pear)
1 small cucumber
2 pearl onions
Handful arugula
3 bunches basil
1 lemon
1 cup olive oil
1 tbsp honey
kosher salt
medium-size goat cheese
3 cups panko
2 eggs
Method:
1) To make chopped beet salad: Boil beets until just before tender and cool immediately with skin still on. Once cooled, chop beets in to small uniform pieces. Chop the cucumber in small uniform pieces, then the Asian pear in small uniform pieces. Shave pearl onions and lightly pickle in vinegar and a dash of honey and salt for 20 minutes. Strain off and add to mixing bowl with the rest of the vegetables. Lightly toss in half a lemon juice, salt and good quality olive oil.
2) To make fried goat cheese: Make two inch length goat cheese discs – make sure goat cheese is cold. Drop in egg wash. Next season panko with lemon zest and a little salt. Toss the goat cheese, after its been egg washed, in the panko mixture. In a shallow frying pan, add some vegetable oil and shallow fry the goat cheese for roughly 20 seconds per side.
3) To make basil puree: In a blender, take three bunches of basil, 1 cup of olive oil, 50 mL of water, tablespoon of honey, teaspoon of salt and blend until smooth.
4) To plate: Place your chopped salad in the center of the plate. Add fried goat cheese disc on top. Then garnish with lemon dressed arugula, and drizzle with basil puree.
Courtesy Adrian Niman, Bloke & 4th Restaurant http://blokeand4th.com/