Watercress Endive And Goat Cheese Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Slice goat cheese into 6 equal portions; form each into ball. Flatten cheese balls into 2-inch-diameter rounds. Place breadcrumbs in shallow dish. Coat cheese rounds completely with breadcrumbs. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.
• Mix vinegar, garlic clove, shallot and Dijon mustard in blender. With machine running, gradually add walnut oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Set dressing aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cheese rounds to skillet and sauté until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer cheese rounds to paper towels; let drain completely.
• Toss pears, endive and watercress in large bowl with enough dressing to coat. Divide salad among 6 plates. Sprinkle walnuts over salads. Place 1 goat cheese round in center of each salad and serve.

Steps:

• Chop and remove stems from watercress. Cut endive into cross pieces. Toss the two together and dress with mustard vinaigrette.

Steps:

• To make the cakes, place the soft goat cheese in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer the cheese to a large bowl and add the potatoes and bread crumbs; mix until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the grated cheese, scallions, parsley and nutmeg and toss with a fork until combined. Season to taste with salt and a few grinds of pink peppercorns.
• Using your hands, form the mixture into balls about the size of golf balls. (You should have about 12.) Flatten the balls into disks about 1/2-inch thick. Place the ground pecans on a plate and coat each disk with pecans. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the potato cakes and cook until nicely browned (lower the heat if the nuts begin to burn), about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
• To make the salad, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, shallots, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Place the watercress and endive in the bowl and toss to coat. Add the remaining grated cheese and toss again.
• Divide the salad between 4 plates and top each with a few warm potato cakes and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Cook beets in water to cover until tender, about 40 to 45 minutes. Drain the beets and set aside to cool.
• For the dressing, whisk together olive oil, shallot, half the lemon juice, the thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside.
• While the beets are cooling, wash the watercress and trim the thicker stems from the leaves. Spread the trimmed watercress out over some paper towels to dry.
• When the beets are cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to peel off the beets skins, they should come off very easily.
• Cut the beets into quarters lengthwise and then those pieces in half crosswise.
• Place the beets and watercress in separate bowls. Divide the dressing between the 2 bowls. Toss the watercress and beets until evenly coated with the dressing.
• Spread the watercress out on a serving platter to make a bed for the beets. Crumble the cold cheese into the beets and toss gently. Spread the beets over the bed of watercress and sprinkle with remaining lemon juice. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the beets in their skins until they are tender when tested with a skewer or sharp knife (one to two hours, depending on size). Remove, cool and peel. Cut into dice.
• Trim the stalks from the watercress; separate the endive leaves and slice them into thin strips.
• Combine the garlic, olive oil and vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the garlic and toss the watercress leaves and endive in the dressing, reserving a couple of spoonfuls of dressing for the beets. Toss the beets in remaining dressing.
• Divide the salad equally among six dinner plates. Top with a couple of spoonfuls of dressed beets and place a disk of goat's cheese on top

Steps:

• Mix cheese and chopped watercress in medium bowl. Season with salt. Spread mixture evenly over 8 bread slices. Top with remaining bread. Butter edges of sandwiches. Cut sandwiches diagonally in half. Place pecans on plate. Dip buttered edges of sandwiches into pecans. Arrange sandwiches on platter. Garnish with watercress sprigs. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover sandwiches tightly; chill.)

Steps:

• In a small bowl toss the bread cubes with 1 tablespoon of the oil and salt to taste and on a baking sheet toast them in the middle of preheated 350°F. oven for 10 minutes, or until they are golden. Transfer the croutons to a salad bowl and let them cool. In another small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, the mustard, the thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, add the remaining oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk the dressing until it is emulsified. To the croutons add the watercress, the endive, the goat cheese, and the dressing and toss the salad well.