Dried Figs, Cranberries, Walnuts & Goat Cheese with Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:
3T lime juice
1T Dijon mustard
1tsp. salt pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad:
10 oz. mixed salad greens, arugula or spinach (8-10 handfuls)
2 Belgium endives, sliced
1 small head radicchio, washed and torn into bite size pieces
1 cup dried figs, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
10 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

1. Vinaigrette: In a small glass jar with a lid, add the lime juice and mustard, 5 grinds of pepper and salt. Put on the lid and shake.

2. Add the olive oil recover and shake until the dressing is emulsified.

3. Salad: In a large salad bowl. Add the salad greens, figs, cranberries, nuts, and goat cheese. Add just enough dressing to coat the salad greens. Toss the salad and then adjust the seasoning.

4. Place the dressed leaves on a platter or individual plates. Serve immediately.

TIPS & TRICKS

• To toast nuts, place them on a baking sheet in a 350° F oven for 5 minutes. Give the pan a shake and toast for an additional 3 minutes until slightly brown. Be careful: they burn easily! Chop as desired
• You can substitute lemon or orange juice for the lime juice, or use any vinegar.
• The vinaigrette will separate, but just shake to re-emulsify. It will keep in your fridge for up to two weeks.
• One handful of salad greens is equal to one serving.
• You can substitute any dried fruit: dates, dried blueberries, cherries, or apricots for the figs and cranberries.
• You can substitute almonds, pistachios, or pecans for the walnuts. ¼ cup of walnuts has been said to help promote good brain health.

Goat Cheese Truffles

Ingredients

16 oz. goat cheese
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1tsp. herbs de Provence

Roll:
½ cup finely chopped nuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios or almonds
2T chopped parsley
½ cup dried cranberries finely chopped
½ cup spices: sesame seeds, everything bagel, or poppy seeds

Crostini:
1 baguette loaf, cut on diagonal into 24 thin slices
¼ cup olive oil

1. In a bowl of your food processor, pulse the goat cheese, yogurt, and herbs de Provence until well blended.

2. Damped your hand with water and place a teaspoon of the cheese mixture into the palm of your hand; roll into a small ball. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the cheese is rolled into balls.

3. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or over night. Once the cheese balls have firmed up, remove them from the refrigerator and roll into the nuts, fruits and seeds, coating the outside of the balls completely.

4. Place on serving tray with crostini. Cheese Truffles are best when served room temperature.

Crostini

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F. Place the sliced bread onto a baking sheet. Brush each slice with a little olive oil. Bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.

TIPS & TRICKS

• If the cheese gets too soft while rolling into balls, place the mixture in the refrigerator to firm up a bit.
• Goat cheese balls can be rolled 2 days in advance. Then, the morning of your event, roll the balls in the different coatings.
• Cheese is best served at room temperature, so remove the truffles from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving them.
• I placed the balls in little paper cups to make them look more like truffles.

Cranberry, Ginger & Pear Tart

Ingredients

Pastry:
1½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. granulated sugar
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup unsalted butter cut into ½ inch cubes and cold
8T iced, cold water

Filling:
3 large ripe pears, Anjou or Bartlett
2 cups fresh cranberries
½ cup walnuts, toasted* 
¼ cup granulated sugar
2T crystalized ginger cut into small dice
½ tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

Topping:
3T all-purpose flour
¼ cup walnuts, toasted* cut into small dice
¼ cup brown sugar
2T crystalized ginger cut into small diced
2T butter, softened

1.    Preheat oven to 400º F.

2.    Pastry:  In a food processor, add the flour, sugar and salt; pulse a few times until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture has pea size bits of butter. Add the cold water and pulse just until the mixture just starts to come together.

3.    Dump the dough onto a piece of plastic film, using the plastic to gather the dough and flatten into a circle, and chill for at least an hour.

4.    On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a circle slightly larger than your 10-inch tart pan, and then transfer the dough to the pan.

5.    Careful push the dough into the sides of the pan.  Trim off any excess dough. 

6.    Prick the bottom of the tart with a fork and line with parchment paper and pie weights.

7.    Bake at 400º F oven for 20 -25 minutes until till dough is set. Remove the tart from the oven, take out the pie weights and the parchment, and return the tart pan to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.

8.    Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

9.    Lower oven temperature to 350º F.

10.    Filling:  Peel the pears, core and slice into ¼ inch-thick slices and place into a medium-size bowl.

11.    In a food processor, coarsely chop the cranberries.  Add the walnuts. Pulse few times. Add mixture to the pears.

12.    Add the sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and salt to the cranberry-pear mixture.

12b. Tossing to combine. Spoon the filling into the crust.

13.    Topping: In a small bowl, mix the flour, walnuts, brown sugar, and ginger. Add the butter, combine with your fingers or fork, and sprinkle oven the filling.

14.    Place tart into the oven and bake at 350º F until the fruit is tender and the crust is brown, about 30-40 minutes. If crust starts to get too brown before the fruit inside is done, cover with foil.

15.    When tart is done, remove from oven and place onto a cooling rack.  Serve the tart warm or cool.

*    To roast nuts: preheat oven 350º F.  Place nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes.  Shake the pan and continue baking until nuts are toasted, about 3-5 minutes more.  Let them cool. The roasted nuts can be store in an airtight container for weeks.

TIPS & TRICKS

•    Pastry can be made ahead of time and kept frozen for up to 3 months in an air tight container or zip lock bag. Defrost in the refrigerator when needed.
•    The tart is best enjoyed the day it is made, but you can:
•    Bake the crust the day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and store on the counter. Don’t refrigerate.
•    Topping can be made ahead.
•    Except for the pears, the filling ingredients can be prepared ahead. The day of serving, peel the pears and combine with the other filling ingredients. Then fill the crust and bake.