Winter Goat Cheese Salad Served With Apricot Dressing Recipes

Steps:

• Place goat cheese, minced basil, chives and milk in a mini food processor; process until smooth. Arrange apricot slices on a serving platter. Drop goat cheese mixture by teaspoonfuls over top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; drizzle with balsamic glaze. Garnish with additional basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Spiced Pecans:
• In a small bowl combine the paprika, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat add the sugar and cook until all of the sugar is melted and light brown in color. Carefully whisk in the butter. Add the spice mix and turn off the heat. Add the pecans and stir with a rubber spatula until all of the pecans are completely coated. Spray with nonstick cooking spray which will help the pecans separate. Once all of the pecans are coated turn out onto a greased sheet tray or a sheet tray lined with a silicone mat. Break up any pieces that may be stuck together. Let cool 5 minutes before serving with the salad.
• In a medium bowl whisk together the goat cheese and buttermilk. Whisk in the remaining dressing ingredients until combined and smooth. Set aside.
• Heat the canola oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and fry until crispy and light brown, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
• Add the greens to a large bowl. Drizzle with 3/4 of the dressing, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and toss to coat the greens. Transfer the salad to a platter and garnish with candied pecans, sliced grapes, and fried shallots. Drizzle with remaining dressing and serve.

Steps:

• Throw everything in the blender/food processor/hand-held immersion blender(mine has an attachment with a cup and lid, so I don't even need another container).
• Blend until everything is combined.
• Use right away or store in a jar in the fridge. You may need to give it a good shake just before using if you let it sit in the fridge for a few days.

Steps:

• Toss chicken, celery stalks, and 1 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Let sit until ready to serve.
• Whisk buttermilk, vinegar, honey, 1 tsp. pepper, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl or measuring cup. Pour over celery mixture. Add apricots, blue cheese, mint, and celery leaves and toss just to coat.
• Transfer salad to a platter and season with more pepper.

Steps:

• Directions for cutting salad are listed next to the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the sliced almonds on a sheet pan and toast for 10 minutes, or until golden. Let cool.
• In a bowl, whisk the shallots, thyme, apricot jam, olive oil, and vinegar. In a large bowl, toss the spinach, endives, radicchio and almonds together. Pour the dressing over the greens and toss. Mound the salad on plates, arrange 2 rounds of goat cheese on top of salad. Sprinkle goat cheese with a little salt and peeper and serve.