Goat Cheese And Spinach Salad With Warm Vinaigrette

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1/4 lb boucheron cheese (french) or 1/4 lb goat cheese (french)
• 1 1/2 lbs spinach
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Recipe

• 1 several hours before serving, remove the bucheron from the refrigerator (it should be very cold); pull off the skin that encircles the cheese.
• 2 with a sharp knife, cut the bucheron into 6 thin slices and place on a large plate.
• 3 cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until ready to assemble the salad. (if the edges crumble a bit, don't worry--put the crumbled cheese aside with the slices.).
• 4 wash the spinach in a sink filled with cold water, pulling the stems off the leaves.
• 5 drain in a colander and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
• 6 tear the leaves into pieces and set aside in a salad bowl.
• 7 combine the shallot, mustard, basil, sugar, salt, pepper to taste, vinegar, and oil in a small bowl and reserve.
• 8 when ready to serve, toss the spinach with 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette--enough to barely coat the leaves.
• 9 arrange the spinach on 6 salad plates and arrange a slice of cheese on top of each bed of spinach.
• 10 in a small saucepan, warm the remaining vinaigrette over moderate heat.
• 11 as it comes just to a simmer, drizzle it in equal portions over the cheese and spinach.
• 12 serve immediately.