Weekly Salad 16: Goat Cheese with Candied Kumquats and Chive Vinaigrette

 

 

The other day, I came home after a very long day to find a parcel waiting for me in the hallway. It was sent from Denise and Lenny from the wonderful ChezUs blog. Without even taking off my shoes, I went straight for the box. Oh, I’m just messin’ with ya, Ma — I always take my shoes off first 😉

Inside, I found a beautiful loaf of Portuguese sweet bread, candied kumquats (which came in an ultra-cool Weck jar) and some fresh kumquats they had found at the market in San Francisco. Pierre and I ate the bread with some of the kumquats the next morning for breakfast. As we were eating, all I could do was nod be all, like, Totally, Dude.

The bread was like a moist, slightly dense panettone. Although I often find candied fruits and preserves too sweet for my taste, the kumquats’ acidity and tartness really balance the sugar syrup nicely in the preserves. Denise and Lenny, Muito Obrigado and if you decide to open a mail-order business with this bread, write me down for the first dozen 🙂

 

 

Now that spring is finally here (or is it?), my fresh chives are starting to make a comeback and I’ve been eager to make a vinaigrette with them. They’re not fully grown so I had to resort to herbal thievery and stole some that were growing on the other side of a neighbor’s fence. Yes, I stole some chives. And a small dogwood branch.

I used the candied kumquats in this salad and they added such a delicious tangy-sweet taste to it. With creamy goat cheese and a fresh chive vinaigrette, it’s a simple and elegant salad for any day of the week. To make the chive vinaigrette, add fresh, finely chopped chives to some dijon mustard, olive oil and wine vinegar + S&P and mix together to form a smooth, emulsified dressing. Just before serving, toss your salad greens with the dressing and top with goat cheese and a few slices of candied kumquats.

 

 

 

Bon appétit!