Goat Cheese Salad With Arugula, Apple and Pecans

goat cheese salad with arugula, apple, blueberries and pecans in a serving plate with blueberries and goat cheese on the side

5 from 1 vote

Goat Cheese Salad With Arugula, Apple and Pecans

Celebrate fall with a warm Goat Cheese Salad! Inspired by a trip to Quebec, it includes lettuce, arugula, apples, pecans, and blueberries, all drizzled with a lemon-maple vinaigrette and topped with sourdough and goat cheese toast.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Starter

Cuisine: French

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 614kcal

Author: Ninon Michels

Ingredients

For the lemon-maple vinaigrette

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey)
the zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the goat cheese salad

6 ounces semi-soft goat cheese (I used crottins de chèvre, but any type of semi-soft goat cheese works)
4 slices sourdough bread about ½-inch (1 cm) thick
1 teaspoon dried rosemary optional
3.5 ounces lettuce about 2 cups, (red leaf lettuce, butterhead lettuce, or romaine lettuce), washed and spinned
4 cups arugula washed and spinned
2 medium apples Gala, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or any variety of your liking
½ cup raw pecans
½ cup fresh blueberries rinsed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Start by making the lemon-maple vinaigrette.

In a jam jar or bowl, combine extra-virgin olive oil, maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Shake to emulsify (or stir dynamically with a small whisk or a spoon if using a bowl).
The vinaigrette is ready. Set aside.

Prepare the goat cheese toats.

Preheat the oven to 410°F (210°C).
Slice the sourdough bread into four ½-inch (1 cm) slices. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Generously line the sourdough sliced with 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick pieces of goat cheese. Sprinkle with optional dried rosemary.
On the same sheet pan, line the raw pecans to toast alongside the goat cheese toasts.
Place it in the oven to bake. After 5 minutes, remove the pecans from the tray and bake the toasts for another 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the bread is golden around the edges.

Meanwhile, assemble the salad.

Cut the apples thinly into ⅛-inch (3 mm) slices (see pictures above in this post).
In a large serving dish or bowl, combine the lettuce leaves and arugula.
Add the sliced apples, toasted pecans, and blueberries.
Drizzle with the lemon-maple vinaigrette.
Top with warm goat cheese toasts and serve immediately with a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc. Enjoy!

Notes

The proportions of this recipe are for a starter for four people. For a light lunch or dinner, I recommend doubling the goat cheese toast proportions and serving two toasts per person.
When assembling this salad, you can either use whole leaves of lettuce, or tear them apart if you prefer.
Substitution tip: goat cheese can easily be swapped with Brie cheese!

Nutrition