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Summer Salad With Pansies, Peas, Strawberries, and Fried Goat Cheese in a Honey Vinaigrette
- Yield: Serves 4–6 1x
Description
This is the kind of salad that feels made for the height of summer, when the market is full of sweet berries, tender peas, and flowers delicate enough to turn a simple platter into something celebratory. Crisp lettuce and microgreens are tossed with mint, strawberries, and fresh peas, then finished with warm rounds of fried goat cheese and a tangy-sweet vinaigrette that brings just the right balance of richness and brightness. Scattered with pansies, it is vibrant, elegant, and equally at home at a luncheon, brunch table, or supper on the porch.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 10 oz fresh goat cheese
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbsps grainy mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 3 Tbsps white balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsps white wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for frying
- Fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 heads butter lettuce, stem trimmed, leaves separated and washed
- 1 cup mixed microgreens
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
- 2 cups sugar snap peas
- 1 cup hulled strawberries, halved or quartered if large
- 1 cup shelled fresh peas
- 1/2 cup fresh pansies
Instructions
- Gently roll the goat cheese into 1-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You should have about 14 balls.
- Place the flour in a shallow dish, the beaten eggs in a second shallow dish, and breadcrumbs into a third shallow dish. Coat each cheese ball in the flour, dip into the egg, and then roll in the panko breadcrumbs. Place the coated cheese balls back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until slightly firm, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, both vinegars, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and set aside.
- On a large serving platter or bowl, arrange the lettuce, microgreens, mint leaves, snap peas, strawberries, shelled peas, and pansies. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat 1 inch of olive oil until it reaches 360°F. Place the goat cheese balls, a few at a time, in the hot oil. Fry, gently flipping the balls occasionally, until all the sides are golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Set aside on a towel-lined plate to absorb extra oil. Repeat with the remaining balls.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and top with the warm cheese balls. Serve immediately.
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