Arugula and Endive with Rosemary Encrusted Goat Cheese Toasts, garnished with Pomegranate Grains and Clementine Slices, served with a Citrus-Infused Dressing
Serves 8Prep Time: 15 to 20 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes
Equipment: large frying pan
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Dijon mustardFreshly squeezed  juice of 1 orange2 tablespoons balsamic vinegarExtra-virgin olive oilSaltFresh ground pepper1 or 2 French baguettes, sliced in ½-inch-thick roundsButterFresh rosemary or herbes de Provence1½ cups lardons (small pieces of salted ham) or chopped pancetta1½ cups leeks, chopped in rounds2 logs goat cheese (200 grams or 7 ounces), sliced into ½-inch-think rounds (two per person)1-1/2 cups panko or bread crumbs, plus more if needed 8 cups arugula, around 1 cup per person4 cups endive, roughly chopped, around ½ cup per person1 deseeded pomegranate, separated4 clementine or mandarin oranges, peeled, separated into slices, and deseededFresh tarragon, roughly chopped
Technique: Prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard with the juice of 1 orange, with the balsamic vinegar. Add in the olive oil to taste and whisk until it’s a creamy (but not too thick) consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put the dressing in the refrigerator until ready to use. Slice the baguette(s) into rounds about ½ inch thick, counting out two per person. Heat a frying pan with 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil and a nice knob of butter over medium-high heat. Add the needles from the fresh rosemary to the pan or a tablespoon or two of herbes de Provence. Place the slices of bread in the pan, grilling both sides until golden. Set aside and repeat, if necessary.
When all the baguette rounds are toasted, in the same pan, add a dash of oil, the lardons, and the leeks. Cook until tender and slightly caramelized. Set aside and keep warm. Gently encrust the goat cheese slices with the panko or bread crumbs, coating both sides. Fry them in the already greased pan for approximately 2 minutes per side. Place the goat cheese on the baguette toasts and get ready to plate.
Combine one cup arugula and ½ cup endive on each plate. Add the lardons and leeks, splitting the ingredients per dish. Place two baguette toasts topped with panko-encrusted goat cheese on each plate. Scatter the pomegranate seeds and the slices of clementine or mandarin oranges. Drizzle the dressing, garnish with fresh tarragon . . . and serve.
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