Goat cheese patties with bacon, apple slices, and caramelized dates on a bed of lamb's lettuce with pine nuts and balsamic, honey, orange juice, and mustard dressing

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 pack of goat cheese (roll)
• 1 pack of breakfast bacon, sliced
• 60 g pine nuts
• 2 packs of lamb’s lettuce, as a starter only 1 pack
• 2 apples
• 6 dates
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, dark
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 orange(s) or lemon, squeezed
• 1 tsp butter
• Thyme, dried
• herbal salt
• Pepper, colorful
• e.g. Parmesan
• e.g. Ciabatta

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Tastes sophisticated, but is easy to prepare.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (425 degrees Fahrenheit). If serving as a side dish, use fan-assisted oven; otherwise, top/bottom heat is also suitable. Wash the apples and core them with a corer. Cut into approximately 0.5 cm thick slices. You’ll need one apple slice per cheese slice. Place the slices in a baking dish and leave in the preheated oven for about 5-10 minutes. Cut the dates into small pieces. Cut the goat cheese roll into slices, between 0.5 and 1 cm thick, depending on the desired number of slices. Wrap a slice of bacon (folded lengthwise if desired) around the outer edge of each slice to form a basket. Once the baking dish is out of the oven, place one of these slices on each apple slice. Sprinkle with mixed pepper and thyme. Toast the pine nuts in a small, non-stick pan, being careful not to burn them. Then transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Now add the finely chopped dates to the same pan and heat slightly. Add 1 tablespoon (or more if desired) of the honey and caramelize the dates slightly, then transfer them to a separate bowl and set aside. Now fill each of the apple, goat cheese, and bacon baskets with about 1/2 teaspoon of the dates and 3-4 pine nuts each. You will need the rest later. Add a little more honey, if desired. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes. If you are planning to serve ciabatta as a side dish, add it to the oven after 8-10 minutes, depending on the manufacturer’s instructions. In the meantime, wash/clean the lamb’s lettuce, spin dry, and arrange on large plates as a bed of salad. Prepare the dressing. To do this, add the balsamic vinegar and 2-3 tablespoons of honey to a warmed pan and let the honey dissolve. Then add the mustard and stir until it dissolves. Add a knob of butter (about 1 tsp) and let it dissolve. Then add the orange juice. Season to taste with herb salt, pepper, and thyme. When making the dressing, experiment to see if you prefer a sweeter or more acidic flavor. If desired, add more or less honey and more orange or even lemon juice. Remove the casserole dish from the oven, arrange the apple, goat cheese, and bacon slices on the lettuce beds. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the slices and spread the dressing on top. Grate some Parmesan cheese over the slices, if desired. Remove the ciabatta from the oven, let it cool, and slice. Note: This dish is suitable as a starter (2-3 goat cheese slices for each plate) or as a main course (5 slices per person). Serve with warmed ciabatta, if desired.