Heart Salad with Fig Vinaigrette Recipe
I thought this was the sweetest idea for a Date-Night, Valentine dinner at home!
I love goat cheese on salads and so I had the idea to form the cheese into little hearts to be placed on a mound of greens. I know we are in the deep winter months and we’re all craving warm comfort foods but I simply couldn’t resist sharing this idea with you, after all, we still need to get our greens!
Serve the Heart Salad with Fig Vinaigrette recipe as a first course or think soup and salad combo. Try my all-time-favorite soup recipe, Roasted Red Pepper Soup or go with a classic like tomato or chicken noodle, either way, you will delight your Valentine with this salad and hint at romance to come, Bien sur!
Making the goat cheese hearts took a few tries to get it right. Goat cheese, even the freshest Chèvre, is a bit too crumbly to form a good heart on its own. I discovered that if you mix a bit of cream cheese in, the goat cheese becomes more pliable and cooperative.
Just mix the 2 cheeses when at room temperature, next sandwich the cheese between parchment or plastic wrap and press it flat. Place the cheese in the refrigerator to chill, it will be easier to handle that way. Once the cheese is cold, use a small heart shaped cookie cutter to create your shapes. I like to hold the hearts on a separate plate until I’m ready to plate the salad.
Oh, and fig vinegar makes the very best salad dressings! If you dont have it on hand, substitute any variety of vinegar and if your vinaigrette is too tart, add a bit of honey.
Heart Salad with Fig Vinaigrette Recipe
Salad
4 cups Fresh tender greens
1 Granny Smith apple sliced thin
¼ cup raw pistachios
4 dates, seeded and sliced
2 ounces goat cheese
1 ounce cream cheese
Vinaigrette
¼ cup fig balsamic
¼ cup olive oil
1 shallot minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
To prepare goat cheese heart, let goat and cream cheese come to room temperature. Mix well in a bowl. Place cheese between 2 layers of parchment paper and press plate. Place cheese in refrigerator to firm up for about 1 hour. Using a hart shaped cookie cutter cut desired number of hearts from cheese. You will need to press the cheese gently out of the cutter and place on a plate until ready to use. Once all hearts are cut out, store in refrigerator until ready to use. To prepare vinaigrette, place all ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. Assemble the salad on plates by placing a mound of greens on each plate, add apples, pistachios and dates. Place 1 goat cheese heart on each salad and drizzle with fig vinaigrette.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
XOXO Lorie
