Leaf salad with crispy goat cheese candies

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 onions, red
• 40 ml red wine
• 60 ml port wine, red
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar and some olive oil
• 1 sprig(s) thyme and 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 tsp butter
• Salt and pepper, sugar, olive oil
• 100 g goat’s cheese
• 4 sheets of dough (spring roll dough)
• Water or protein
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 75 ml vinegar (strawberry vinegar)
• 75 ml oil (walnut oil)
• Salt and pepper, sugar
• Salad (strong leaf salads, e.g. radicchio, lollo rosso, field lettuce, arugula, etc.)
• 4 tbsp pine nuts, roasted
• chives
• Oil, neutral

Instructions

Working time approx. 50 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 50 minutes

fine salad course for a menu

For the onion confit, grease an ovenproof pan with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and sugar. Peel and halve the onions, then place them cut-side down in the pan. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven preheated to 180°C for about 15 minutes. Then let the onions cool slightly and finely dice. Cook the diced onions with the wine, balsamic vinegar, and herbs over medium heat until syrupy. Stir in the butter and season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Defrost the spring roll dough and halve it. Top each with 1 teaspoon of onion confit and goat’s cheese along the narrow edge and roll up. Brush the edge with water or egg white. Tie the open ends with a chive stalk. For the dressing, caramelize the sugar in a pan, deglaze with a little vinegar, and swirl the pan gently until the caramel has dissolved. Add the remaining vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and let cool. Trim the lettuce leaves and arrange on 4 plates, scattering the pine nuts over the salad. Fry the goat cheese candies in hot oil until crispy, then drain on kitchen paper. Mix the vinegar with the oil, blend with a hand blender, and spread over the salad. Finally, arrange the goat cheese candies on top and serve immediately. Tip: The preparation is relatively time-consuming, but you can prepare some things well in advance, so the effort immediately before serving is relative. The confit freezes very well; the candies can be wrapped a few hours in advance and left to cool, preferably on flour, covered with a towel. The sugar and vinegar mixture can be prepared a day in advance. The candies are also suitable as a small amuse-gueule without the salad.