A Light Summer Salad With French Comte And Avacado

                                          French Comte and Avocado salad

This light summer salad will become a family favorite quickly due to its bold flavor and eye catching appeal. French Comte adds a rich nutty and grassy flavor to this salad and it is the headliner here because it also brings out the best from the other ingredients. This is a great for a light summer lunch with bread and wine. Steamed broccoli florets or sugar snap peas can be added instead of the avocado if you choose.

Bamboo Cutting Board Set from Amazon

Ingredients (serves 6)

1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup of fresh cilantro

2 Tbsp. of white wine vinegar

1 medium clove of garlic

1 small scallion cut into 1" pieces

3/4 Tsp of salt

1/2 Tsp of ground black pepper

1/3 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil

1Tsp of horseradish

1 large avocado cubed

1 large tart green apple sliced

1/2 of a large cucumber sliced

2 large celery stalks chopped

1 cup of seedless green grapes

1 1/2 cups of French Comte cheese cubed

1 head of washed curly green leaf lettuce

Prep and total Time 20 min  

1) Combine the lime juice, cilantro, vinegar, garlic, scallion, horseradish, salt and pepper in a blender. While the blender is running add the olive oil . Continue blending until the mixture is smooth. Prepare and refrigerate overnight.

2) Combine the cubed avocado, chopped green apple, sliced cucumber, sliced celery grapes and Comte cheese in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat the entire mixture.

3) Place the leaf lettuce on individual plates and spoon out the mixture onto the lettuce.

Wine paring: Due to the citrus and vinegar dressing  serve a fruity Reisling or Sauvignon Blanc

How To Set Up A French Cheese Breakfast Plate

Yes we are providing a French cheese assortment for a breakfast cheese plate. The Europeans never set a clock for good food so live the good life and have a cheese entree as your morning wake up call or for a light brunch. The cheeses listed below are all easy to find and will make you smile with their flavors and aromas.




Ossau-Iraty or Petit Basque: Both are sheep cheeses from the Pyrenees Mountains with wonderful buttery flavors with an aroma of hazelnuts. Cut either in small but thick wedges.

Crottin Frais: This fresh goat cheese is from the Loire Valley and has a natural rind  a soft creamy inner paste and a light nutty flavor.

Fleur Du Maquis/ Brindamour: Is a soft, mild and aromatic sheep milk cheese from Corsica. The outer rind is encrusted with dried savory and rosemary. Cut in small wedges

Comte (aged):  This is a cow milk cheese is from the Nor-Pas de Calais. Try to find a cheese that is aged for at least 18 months so the nutty flavor is fully developed. Cut into thin wedges or small cubes

Blue d'Auvergne: Is a rindless pasteurized cow's milk blue cheese. This is a mild flavored blue so it will work nicely on our breakfast cheese plate, cut it into small wedges.

French Chees sampler  at Amazon

Arrange the cheese on a tray or plate that is big enough to hold all four cheeses so they do not run into each other. Place sweet berries  (strawberries, blackberries and blueberries) around the cheeses to seperate them. Sweet fruits like honeydew or cantelope will work nicely also. Serve with mini toasts, crackers or crusty bread and hot herb tea.

A Quick Recipe For Fresh Goat Cheese And Olive Dip

                                           Olive Dip With Fresh Goat Cheese

This recipe is quick and easy and will provide your guests with a flavorful, eye-catching appetizer. Fresh goat cheese (Chevre) is light so it is great for the spring and summer seasons. Any fresh goat cheese will work here but we prefer to use the Montchevre brand or try any that your cheese retailer may suggest..



Ingredients:

11oz of fresh goat cheese

3/4 cup of light cream

1 cup of pitted Kalamata olives chopped roughly

1 cup of pitted green olive chopped roughly

1 sprig of fresh thyme leaves

Presentation and prep time 15 minutes

1. Mix the goat cheese and cream together in a small bowl until smooth.

2. Spread about 1/3 of the cheese spread into the bottm of a clean serving bowl.

3.Spread the chopped Kalamata olives over the entire surface of the cheese mix.

4.Spread another layer of cheese mix on top of the chopped olives.

5.Spread the chopped green olives on top of this cheese layer  as before.

Use the remaing cheese mix to cover the green olive layer . Smooth it out and sprinkle the fresh thyme leaves on top.

Serve at room temperature with crackers, flat breads or crusty bread.