Salade de Chevre Chaud

Salade de Chevre Chaud

Goat cheese may be an acquired taste, but I’ve grown to really enjoy it. Heating it mellows the sharpness and brings out a creamier, more balanced flavor. Warm goat cheese paired with fresh salad, crispy bread, and sweet-and-tangy nuts creates a perfectly balanced combination of textures and flavors.

Salade de Chèvre Chaud or Green salad with warm goat cheese is a great appetizer or main course depending on serving size.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices goat cheese

• 2 slices sourdough bread or similar

• balsamic glazed walnuts and cranberries

• romaine salad or mixed greens

• black berries (optional)

Dressing:

• 75 ml grapes seed oil

• 5 teaspoons dijon mustard

• 2 tablespoons applecider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon honey

• salt

• freshly ground pepper

Direction:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Dressing:

Whisk together mustard, vinegar, honey, and a pinch of salt in a tall narrow container. Slowly add the oil, while whisking. I used my immersion blender, and my dressing became light and fluffy.

Slice, and toast the bread slightly in a toaster. The goat cheese I bought, was pretty large, so I sliced it in two. If you use a smaller goat cheese roll, it will work great too. Place the cheese on top of the bread and toast it in the oven until the cheese is slightly melted and golden around the edges.

To serve, arrange the salad on a plate and drizzle some of the dressing over it. Place the toasted bread with the warm cheese on top, then finish with a spoonful of the glazed walnuts and cranberries. End to add a few fresh blackberries.

Enjoy!

Balsamic Glazed Walnuts and Cranberries

Balsamic Glazed Walnuts and Cranberries.

These balsamic-glazed walnuts and cranberries are a great topping for almost any cheese, especially goat cheese and blue cheese. The sweetness and acidity cut through the creaminess of the cheeses, creating a balanced bite.

But they’re not just for cheese boards—I also love using them in salads, especially with red cabbage or kale, where they add a rich depth of flavor and texture.

They’re easy to make, and you can experiment with different types of balsamic vinegar to play with the flavor profile. For my chèvre chaud, I used a black currant balsamic vinegar, and it worked beautifully.

Ingredients:

• 1 handful walnuts

• 1 handful dried cranberries

• 75 ml balsamic vinegar

• 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar

Directions:

Start by putting the walnuts into a saucepan with a good amount of cold water. Bring it to a boil. Drain off the water.

Add cranberries, sugar and balsamic vinegar, and heat it until the sugar has melted completely. Set the mixture aside to cool, and it’s ready to serve.

It will keep for weeks in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Gorgonzola sauce

Gorgonzola is not my favorite cheese, it’s way too strong, powerful, and potent for my taste. But I like it on pizza and in a sauce like this. I need other flavors to mellow out the potency of the Gorgonzola. In this sauce the acidity from the wine, the umami from the mushrooms, gives it a great balance.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon butter

• 100 g mushrooms, cleaned at sliced

• 50 g Gorgonzola

• 50 ml white wine

• 100 ml heavy whipping cream

• 1 pinch of sugar

• 2 teaspoons corn starch

• water

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt the butter in a saucepan, sauté the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes. You don’t want the to caramelize, because it’s a pale sauce. Add the wine and cheese, and let it melt while stirring the sauce.

Add the cream and heat the sauce to just before the boiling point. (Ok my sauce boiled, and it turned out great).

Thicken the sauce with corn starch mixed in cold water, to the desired consistency.

Taste the sauce seasoning it with sugar, salt and pepper.

Serve it to a steak or on pasta with arugula and walnuts.

Enjoy!

Champignon og Gorgonzola Sauce

Ingredienser:

• 1 tsk smør

• 100 g champignon, rensede og skiveskårne

• 50 g gorgonzola

• 0,5 dl hvidvin

• 1 dl piskefløde

• Lidt sukker

• 2 tsk maizena

• koldt vand

• Salt og peber, tilsmagning

Fremgangsmåde:

Smelt smør i en gryde og sauter champignon i 3-4 minutter uden det tager farve, da dette er en lys sauce.

Tilsæt vin og ost og lad osten smelte mens der røres i saucen. Nu tilsættes fløden og bring sovsen op til lige under kogepunktet. (Ok min sauce kom op og koge, og det skete der intet ved).

Jævn saucen med maizena rørt op i koldt vand. Tilsmag nu saucen med sukker, salt og peber.

Server saucen til en god bøf eller på en pasta med lidt valnødder og rucola.

Enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower in Tahini Dressing

Roasted Cauliflower in Tahini Dressing

One of my favorite vegetables is cauliflower. I love it raw, cooked, baked, and as cauliflower rice.

A few weeks ago I saw this version on a tahini dressing, and thought I had to try it. it didn’t disappoint.

The cauliflower is sprinkled with cumin and roasted in the oven, then placed on top of the dressing, with a topping of parsley, onion and almonds

This is the perfect side for a piece of grilled meat, like lamb or chicken.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

Roasted cauliflower:

• 1 cauliflower, cut into bouquets

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon cumin

• Sprinkle of salt

Tahini dressing:

• 2 tablespoons tahini

• 6 tablespoons Greek yogurt

• 1 garlic clove,

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed

• Salt to taste

Topping:

• 4 tablespoons almonds, roasted and chopped

• 1 handful Italian parsley, chopped

• 1 small onion, finely diced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 430℉/220℃.

Place cauliflower on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, drizzle olive oil over and sprinkle salt and cumin, mix it so the cauliflower is evenly coated. Roast the cauliflower for 15-20 minutes. You want them to be tender with a bit of a crunchy texture.

Mix the ingredients to the dressing and season additional salt and lemon juice to taste.

Mix the topping in a bowl, and set aside

Spread the dressing on to a serving dish, place the roasted cauliflower on top, adding the topping on last.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy

Danish version:

Bagt blomkål med tahindressing

Ingredienser:

Blomkål:

• 1 blomkål, delt op i buketter

• 4 spsk oliven olie

• 1 spsk spidskommen

• Lidt salt

Tahindressing:

• 2 spsk tahini

• 6 spsk græsk yoghurt

• 1 fed hvidløg

• 1 spsk friskpresset citronsaft

• Salt, efter smag

Topping:

• 4 spsk grofthakkede ristede mandler

• 1 håndfuld bredbladet persille, groft hakket

• 1 lille løg, finthakket

Fremgangsmåde:

Forvarm oven til 220℃.

Blomkål:

Vend blomkålsbuketterne med olivenolie, spidskommen og salt. Kom blomkålen på en bageplade, med bagepapir. Bag blomkålen i 15-20 minutter indtil de er møre med lidt bid, og har fået lidt farve.

Dressing:

Bland alle ingredienserne sammen i en skål, smag til med ekstra salt og citron.

Topping:

Bland ingredienserne sammen.

Kom et godt lag dressing ud på et fad, kom det bagte blomkål ovenpå. Fordel toppingen øverst og server.

Enjoy!

Moroccan Style Roasted Carrots

Moroccan Style Roasted Carrots

I have been looking for more interesting ways to serve vegetables. Especially in the early spring, before all the summer vegetables gets in the stores.

The combination of flavors and textures from the dressing and topping really elevate the humble carrot into something special. These carrots are a new favorite, so I recommend to make plenty.

We had these carrots as a part of a Moroccan themed dinner, with roasted leg of lamb seasoned with ras el hanout, roasted cauliflower with tahini dressing and couscous.

The recipe is adapted from Julie Bruun.

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 carrots (the small ones with the top or thin snack carrots

• Oil for the baking

• A sprinkle of salt

  Dressing:

• 100 ml Greek style yogurt

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• ½ teaspoon ground coriander

• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon salt

  Topping:

• Fresh tarragon, chopped

• Almonds, roasted and coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven for 425℉ / 220℃.

Wash the carrots, and trim off most of green top part. Place the carrots in an ovenproof dish, and toss them with oil and a sprinkle of salt.

Roast the carrots for 15-20 minutes. Let the carrots cool for a minute, before adding dressing and topping.

Serve the carrots immediately.

Enjoy!