Paris, je t'aime

When I was in Paris in the spring of 2007, this was one of my favourite meals (I had it a lot). Salade chevre -- or goat cheese salad. Of course it goes without saying that the cheese in France is second to none and the chevre I had there was incredible. Smooth, creamy, and tangy -- the flavours brought out by a few minutes under a hot broiler.

I decided to recreate that salad, to the best of my ability and with what ingredients I had on hand, last night for dinner.

I started by mixing up a simple white wine vinaigrette, using white wine vinegar, a bit of Dijon mustard, some good quality olive oil and salt and pepper. I cooked a few strips of bacon, which I then sliced into bite-sized pieces.

I brushed some olive oil on a couple small pieces of walnut bread, then topped the bread with slices of fresh chevre. I then popped the cheese-topped bread in the oven for about 10 minutes at 450C, followed by a few minutes on broil to get the cheese golden brown and bubbly on top. I mixed the bacon and some baby arugula leaves with my vinaigrette, and then served the chevre toasts alongside.

C'est parfait!

Salut!

Suzanne