Chèvre Chaud Salad, Limoncello Dressing

Chèvre Chaud with Grape Arugula Salad, Limoncello Dressing
Chèvre Chaud over a Salad of  Arugula, Grapes, and Marcona Almonds
Limoncello Rosemary Dressing

How did this fall off my radar? Often, I would serve a Salade de Chèvre Chaud at dinner parties. It’s been years  – but now, fried goat cheese back. This time with arugula, grapes, marcona almonds, and a zippy limoncello rosemary dressing.

Food Network is featuring grapes this week, so I was thinking about foods that might pair well: goat cheese, almonds, lemon, rosemary, arugula, alcohol… Alcohol? Yes – like wine, cognac, brandy, rum. How about limoncello? The dressing is bold, lemony, and definitely zippy.  It adds unexpected character and balances the rich fried cheese. All the ingredients just came together and voilà – this bodacious “adult” salad was born.

Chèvre Chaud Recipe

Chèvre Chaud with Grape Arugula Salad, Limoncello Dressing

Form goat cheese into medallions and refrigerate. Dip chilled goat cheese medallions in a beaten egg seasoned with salt and pepper. Then press the cheese into panko breadcrumbs to coat. Fry in hot canola oil over medium-high heat, turning once. When the breadcrumbs are golden, transfer to a paper towel. Season with sea salt.

Limoncello Rosemary Dressing

Limoncello Rosemary Dressing

  • 1/4 c. grapeseed oil
  • 1 T. limoncello
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 t. rosemary, chopped
  • lemon zest, from 1/2 lemon
  • salt and pepper

Limoncello Rosemary Dressing

Place all ingredients in a small jar and shake well.

Chèvre Chaud with Grape Arugula Salad, Limoncello Dressing
To serve: place arugula, sliced grapes, marcona almonds, and lemon slices in bowls. Drizzle with the limoncello rosemary dressing. Place warm goat cheese on top.

Chèvre Chaud with Grape Arugula Salad, Limoncello Dressing

This week, Summerfest is Featuring Grapes! 

Champagne Grapes

Speaking of grapes. Did you ever wonder why the petite seedless intensely-sweet Corinth grapes are called “Champagne” grapes when the grapes used in making Champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier? And these grapes, originally from Greece, are not even grown in the Champagne region of France? It turns out they are called Champagne grapes as a result of a magazine advertisement from decades ago. The beautiful clusters were photographed alongside a flute of Champagne, as a means to market the black Corinth grapes. After time, the image of these grapes became associated with Champagne and the more voguish name stuck.

food network summer fest

Summer Fest is a season long franchise where Food Network editors team up with bloggers to share recipes about everyone’s favorite summertime fruits and vegetables. Be sure to check out the Pinterest Board with over 100,000 followers called Let’s Pull Up A Chair! And if this Chèvre Chaud Salad got you in the mood for grapes, you might enjoy taking a peek at other grape-y recipes from some fabulous bloggers below…

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Kale, Grape and Ginger Lemon Juice
The Heritage Cook: Chicken Breasts with Fresh Grape-Wine Reduction Sauce
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Roasted Grapes with Balsamic Drizzle
Red or Green: Grape and Tomato Salsa
Virtually Homemade: Grape Sorbet
Weelicious: Frozen Grapes
The Sensitive Epicure: Green grapes, Drunken Goat Cheese and Jalapenos on a Toothpick
Domesticate Me: Gingered Grape Cocktail Granitas
Made by Michelle: Quinoa with Grapes, Figs and Caramelized Onions
Taste With The Eyes: Chevre Chaud with Grape Arugula Salad, Limoncello Dressing
Devour: Grape-Filled Desserts
FN Dish: 10 Grape-Forward Recipes

25 thoughts on “Chèvre Chaud Salad, Limoncello Dressing”

  1. As always, your photography is stunning. Oh, but this salad looks good, and to me it is the perfect transition dish from Summer to Fall. Also I adore and covet that tiny glass pitcher. I have been looking for one like that for years. Years, I tell you!

    1. Dear Adri – thank you, grazie, for all your kind comments. You live in LA too, right? This is a great neighborhood cooking store in Torrance where they have lots of sweet little glass pitchers, and more. You might find your perfect petite pitcher here… http://cookinstuff.com
      LL

      1. Hi Lori,

        Yes, I am in the San Fernando Valley in the Sherman Oaks-Valley Glen area. I love finding bloggers in my general area-small world, and all that.

        Thank you for the info on the shop. I checked out their site, and I do not see the pitcher. But don’t think for a minute that little detail deterred me! Nope – I went to Facebook and sent them a link to your site and asked them to look at your pix to see if they have something like the tiny pitcher. Only now that I am old do I have enough nerve to do stuff like that!

        Let’s hope they have something. Thank you for taking the time to pass the information along. I really appreciate it.

        bye,
        ABC

        1. Hi – they have a bunch of little glass pitchers in the store. Not sure if the exact one I used in that photo. But I bought another from them recently, just a little larger. See post on rose salad. Good luck.
          LL

  2. Oh my but I am drooling over those photos, especially the one of the grapes in the compote dish. I do remember eating salads like these but as you say, it’s been years. Wish I were at your table enjoying this right now.

    1. Right up your alley Marie! My first attempts at the dressing were too alcohol-y. I think I got the right balance in the recipe here. You can definitely taste the limoncello, not for kids. And it is zippy, I loved it with the goat cheese. Not sure I would use it on a plain green salad, needs a rich balance like cheese, especially fried cheese. If you make it please let me know what you think…
      LL

  3. I have some Limoncello in the pantry so I will be making this dressing! What a delicious salad with the grapes and chevre and then that dressing – perfection!

  4. Hi Lori,
    I made this delicious salad for dinner tonight. The dressing was amazing…I just happened to have a bottle of Limoncello in the freezer which was convenient. 🙂 All of the flavors blended so well together with the grapes, marcona almonds, and velvety goat cheese. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!

  5. Hi I’ve stumbled across you via Pinteres. I am in France and don’t understand the measurements you use for your dressing, any chance of a conversion into ml or the abbreviations explained ? 🙂 merci

    1. Hi Leigh – thanks for your interest in my Limoncello Dressing. A simple google search would explain the abbreviations, but to make it easy for you, here you go:

      1/4 c. grapeseed oil c = cup
      1 T. limoncello T = tablespoon
      1 garlic clove, minced
      1/2 t. rosemary, chopped t = teaspoon
      lemon zest, from 1/2 lemon
      salt and pepper

      I hope that helps.
      LL

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