Warm Chèvre and Pear Salad

‘Salade aux crottins de chèvre’ is a popular salad choice in Paris. The warm goat’s cheese is normally placed on top of toasted baguette rounds and sits on a bed of mixed salad greens. Sometimes it is served with toasted walnuts. I have had it served over chopped endive instead of mesclun. It can also be served with strips of roasted red pepper.
My ‘Warm Chèvre and Pear Salad’ is a simple and elegant variation to serve your guests.

Warm Chèvre and Pear Salad

Serves 4

4 crottins de chèvre (rounds of goat’s cheese)
500 mL (2 cups) mesclun (young mixed salad leaves)
2 ripe pears
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Wash, rinse and dry the mesclun; arrange on 4 salad plates and set aside. Half the pears, remove cores and slice thinly (keeping the top end intact). Fan the pear halves on a pan, top with rounds of goat’s cheese and grill until cheese begins to soften. Carefully arrange on top of mesclun and season with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pepper.