Cornish 'Lizard' Salad Leaves & Grilled Goats’ Cheese
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- A good handful of Cornish grown salad leaves per person
- 4 Finger thick slices of Westcountry goats’ cheese
- 3tbsp Toasted hazelnuts
- 8 Quail’s eggs, boiled for 3 minutes
- Cherry tomatoes
- Vinaigrette of choice
- Thinly sliced pickled beetroot
- Just about any other ingredients you want, it’s a salad!Ie. Croutons, gherkins, cucumber, edible flowers, diced shallot etc. The list is endless.
Method:
- Pre-heat the grill to high. Drizzle the goats’ cheese slices with a little olive oil and grill until browned.
- Combine all your salady bits in a large bowl and add the desired quantity of vinaigrette.
- Divide among four large dinner plates and set centre stage the browned goats’ cheese.
- Season the top of the cheese and serve with crusty bread and a crisp white wine.
Notes:
The Lizard Leaf Company in Cornwall provide lovely mixes of fresh picked salad leaves. A superb variety that comes up trumps with colour and crunch contrast. This salad is reminiscent of the grande salades of France. A large plate of leaves with many colourful bits, often served up with a warmed goat’s cheese in the centre. A herby, punchy vinaigrette is essential and the garnishing ingredients are really left up to you, for the sky is the limit. Here, I was fortunate enough to be given a few radish pods from a local farm that add a hot crunch and an unusual slant on a simple dish. The goats’ cheese is a classic chevre, but the West Country has many great cheeses that would stand up to the French any day. Try Vulscombe for a milder, yet sophisticated alternative.
