The Infamous Goat Cheese Crouton
A savory surprise hiding beneath a bed of bitter greens and ripe for the bite strawberries.
“What is this?!” was not a question I expected to field from the stove of a client’s oceanfront abode. “This” was a finger sandwich of toasted rye filled with fresh chèvre and caramelized shallots... hidden under a mound of summer’s best bitter greens. Like a spoonful of sugar to help the roughage go down. The question - served coated in glee - made obvious that my client’s guest thought she was eating a mere salad of frisée and berries. Au contraire.
This is not your grandma’s white bread crouton (apologies, Granny). But if you can mince a shallot and melt butter, the meal-worthy appetizer can earn you infamy, too. A world of sensations crosses your lips if you play your fork right. Crispy, earthy bread, zingy cheese, and moody greens balanced by sunny strawberries and a musky sherry vinaigrette.
A mouthful to write and an even better one to eat.
Pans at the ready.
The Method: On Caramelized Onions and Shallots
Contrary to flashy headlines and social media clickbait, deep caramelization of alliums like shallots takes an hour—at a bare minimum. I know firsthand from aiding in the large-scale production of soupe à l’oignon (onion soup) in my restaurant days. The ultimate batch, near burgundy in color and sinfully sweet, can take five hours. Sadly, there is no shortcut.
Because what is happening in the pan isn’t pure caramelization. When you make caramel sauce from table sugar, the sucrose breaks down and oxidizes (turns brown). When you “caramelize” vegetables like shallots, it is mainly the Maillard Reaction at work with a side of caramelization.
The Maillard Reaction requires proteins (amino acids) and is more complicated chemistry with more flavorful results. You must cook lower and slower to allow every last sugar and amino acid to work its magic. You can surely develop a hint of that long-cooked flavor quicker than forever. Just call it what it is: golden, brown, and delicious.
For flavorful, beautifully browned, sweet shallots, melt a decent dose of butter over medium-high heat and cook the shallots in a single layer until the edges brown. Then turn the heat to low and cook, stirring occassionaly, until translucent. To get to this stage takes about ten minutes.
If you keep cooking, eventually every last morsel will take on a dark color throughout. How far you go depends on your patience level and how much heat you can take in your kitchen in the summer. When the pan dries out (and it will more than once), a splash of water keeps the process moving.
Smart Shopping
Avoid strawberries with white. They were picked too soon. And they don’t self-ripen like bananas. But yet, I routinely pick up several clamshells before I find one with all ripe berries. Be choosy and get your money’s worth, not a pound of tart, less-than-ripe fruit.
Goat cheese alternatives. This crouton does not discriminate: ricotta, mascarpone, warm brie, or fruity taleggio (discard the stinky rind) are only four ideas from the tip of my tongue. Any soft cheese or your favorite spreadable apply. In your kitchen, your cheese rules.
Frisée and friends. It is also called curly endive. If you can't find it, arugula or regular endive (pricier) are perfect second-string players. A heap of spring mix with microgreens is beautiful on the plate and nutrient-rich.
On rye. While a local bakery is likely the best rye around, you can find decent loaves at grocery retailers. Be mindful of excessive sugar (more than a few grams) and high sodium (more than 100 grams); they are only added to replace flavor. A mark of authentic rye is caraway seeds.
Notes from the Chef
Clean frisée well. This sturdy, spiky green can bring a bit of dirt to your cutting board. Rinse it well and pat it dry before tearing or slicing.
Butter and babysit your shallots. Use ample butter to sauté; the proteins will encourage those tasty chemical reactions. Don’t be afraid to play with the burner knob like a toddler to keep the heat just right. Start medium, finish low.
Taste the vinaigrette more than twice. A dressing can make or break a salad. Too sour, oily, or just downright bland, and the greens become a chore, not a healthful pleasure. Once you whisk the ingredients well, taste, season, and taste again. Repeat as necessary.
Edible Epilogue
If you don’t get excited about salad, toast the rye, brown the shallots, and build a pile of tea sandwiches. I never regret eating anything with cheese and bread.
Eat + be well,
Christina
Strawberry & Frisée Salad with Rye & Goat Cheese “Crouton”
Serves 4
Ingredients
For Salad:
1 large shallot or ½ of a white onion, peeled and minced
2 to 4 tablespoons of butter
8 slices of rye bread (each ¼-inch thick), crusts removed
4 ounces (1 log) of fresh goat cheese
1 head of frisée, stem removed, rinsed, dried, and roughly sliced
8 to 10 ripe strawberries, stems removed and quartered
A few fresh mint or basil leaves, sliced thin, optional
Sliced almonds or halved pecans, optional
For Sherry Vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard or honey (to bind the dressing)
⅓ cup of sherry vinegar
½ cup of olive, canola or avocado oil
1 pinch of flake sea salt or kosher salt
Method
Brown the shallots. Heat a tablespoon or two of butter in a large, shallow sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the minced shallots and a pinch of salt, and cook undisturbed until deep brown around the edges, about three minutes. Then lower the heat and cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. The shallots will turn translucent and begin to brown throughout. Remove from the pan and reserve.
Crisp the rye and build the “croutons.” Trim your crustless rye slices into neat rectangles to make matching pairs. Add more butter to the same pan, and cook the slices until deeply toasted and dry on the first side. Flip them, and cook less on the second side so it browns but stays soft. Work in batches, if necessary. Spread each slice with cheese on the soft side and press a spoonful of caramelized shallots into the cheese on half of them. Match up the pairs (one with shallot, one with just cheese for each). Place one crouton in the center of each plate.
Whisk the vinaigrette. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sherry vinegar and mustard or honey. Slowly whisk in the oil and season with salt to taste (you can also do this in a blender). If you have any leftover cooked shallots, stir them into the dressing. Transfer the vinaigrette to a storage container.
Plate the salads. In the same bowl you mixed the dressing, add the frisée, sliced mint or basil, quartered strawberries, nuts if using, and a few spoonfuls of dressing. Gently mix by hand until everything is coated in the vinaigrette. Mound a portion of the salad on each sandwich and garnish with ground black pepper.