About Pecan-Encrusted Goat Cheese Salad w/ Maple Vinaigrette

Versatile maple syrup is used here in a fantastic vinaigrette. A salad becomes a meal with the addition of generous slices of goat cheese embellished with toasted pecans. This crunchy, sweet and savory offering is another winner from Eunice Feller of Bread & Chocolate.

About Eunice Feller

Bread & Chocolate is a small family bakery-café, committed to great food and great people. Eunice Feller, chef & owner, is a graduate of the Professional Chef Program at The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. Graduating with honors, she was presented with the Young Professional Award from the prestigious L'Académie Brillat-Savarin for her "unparalleled dedication to the culinary arts and possessing the 'fire in the belly' to become one of tomorrow's culinary stars." Eunice holds a BFA from Otis Parsons College of Art & Design and an MFA from the Claremont Graduate University. Always seeking a creative outlet, her photographs adorn the café interior and her website. When not in the kitchen, she relaxes with her husband and two rescue dogs and daydreams about traveling to Abruzzi, Italy.

Recipe

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Ingredients

Serves 4

4 oz log of goat cheese
½ cup toasted pecans, chopped fine
handful of assorted greens (or as much as you like) per serving
1 Granny Smith apple, cut into matchstick size

Maple Vinaigrette

4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

How-to

Toast the Pecans

Preheat oven to 35-375º. Spread pecans on a baking sheet and oven toast 10-15 minutes. Let cool and chop fine

Prepare the Goat Cheese

Roll the log of goat cheese in toasted pecans. Slice into generous portions for 4 salads

Make the Maple Vinaigrette

Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients

Assemble the Salad

Dress greens lightly with vinaigrette and toss. Transfer greens to a salad bowl or plate, add slices of pecan-encrusted goat cheese
Add Granny Smith matchsticks, drizzle more vinaigrette and serve