1 July 2011

Martha Stewart's Goat-Cheese Salad with Basil Vinaigrette Does Double Duty


Goat Cheese Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Happy Canada Day!!!!!!

Thank you for joining me once again as I travel along with Mary of One Perfect Bite on a culinary journey.  Gourmet Live brought out a list of the 50 most influential women in food...Fifty women game changers. Some are chefs, some are food writers, and some are women who are passionate about the creative process. You could certainly add or detract women from this list, but no matter what these women have all influenced us in one way or another. Being a woman and passionate about food myself I wanted to explore and not only learn from the masters but recreate some of their dishes to better understand what has shaped and molded them into who they are today. Follow us on this journey while we take an in depth exploration of these women's lives and what makes them who they are.

One of my favourite well-travelled bloggers Mary of One Perfect Bite invited bloggers to travel along on a culinary journey throughout the year. For 50 weeks we will experiment with dishes from each of the 50 influential women on "the list". Whether you agree or disagree with the authors chosen fifty it will be an enjoyable and creative outlet to cook from the masters. My cohorts for this adventure can be found below. If you would like to join in  please contact Mary. This is an informal event and you have the flexibility to follow along when you can. She will be posting every Friday.



Martha Stewart is known the world over and is our 4th Game Changer. She first started her career as a model, then stockbroker turned lifestyle guru and businesswoman. Everyone knows her name and everyone has been touched by her in way or another whether you have her sheets on your bed or her cookbooks on your shelves. This cannot be denied.

This self-made woman is a self-trained gourmet cook having taught herself from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She started a catering business in the late 1970s, and soon became known for her gourmet menus and unique, creative entertaining.  In 1991, she expanded her empire and became Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., with the release of her magazine, Martha Stewart Living. Stewart's lifestyle empire has grown to include two magazines, a checkout-size recipe publication, a popular cable television show, a syndicated newspaper column, a series of how-to books, a radio show, an Internet site, and $763 million in annual retail sales. Even with a little poncho-wearing "time off" in 2004 she is definitely a force to be reckoned with!

From her empire where do you start with choosing just one recipe to highlight in this challenge. It became easy when I needed a red and white dish for my Is My Face is Red (and White) Challenge in honour of Canada Day. So far this years challenge has consisted of Rhubarb Lemonade, Red Pepper Hummus Sushi and Canadian Whiskey and Brown Sugar Flank Steak with Smashed Red Potatoes. Watch for dessert next!!!!This salad recipe is simple, classic and a perfect way to bring a little sunshine into your day with freshly picked sundappled tomatoes and fragrant basil from your garden or farmers market. It does double duty!!!!

What have we been up to.......

Mary of One Perfect Bite - Spaghetti 101
Joanne of Eats Well With Others - Blueberry Lattice Pie
Claudia of A Seasonal Cook in Turkey - Peanut Butter Cookies
Taryn of Have Kitchen, Will Feed - Plum Kuchen
Heather of Girlichef - Strip Steak with Chimmichuri and Roasted Potato Wedges
Miranda of Mangoes and Chutney - Chicken Drumettes
Jeanette at Jeanette's Healthy Living - Cold Sesame Noodles
April of Abbys Sweets -Velvet Chocolate Cake with Instant Chocolate Frosting
Susan from theThe Spice Garden - Pate au Choux


**Tomato and Goat-Cheese Salad with Basil Vinaigrette**

1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 ounces fresh goat cheese
3 medium tomatoes, cored and sliced crosswise 1 inch thick

1. In a blender, combine basil, oil, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon water. Blend until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

2. With dental floss or a warm knife (wiped clean after each slice), thinly slice cheese. Arrange tomatoes and goat cheese on a serving plate; drizzle with dressing to taste. Serve garnished with basil leaves.

Serves 4

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison. Best Blogger Tips

27 comments:

  1. A taste of summer! Delicious.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. Interesting post Of course we hear her name so often but know so little about her! You did justice to this recipe as it looks terrific!

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  3. Happy Canada Day Val. Don't tell on us, but except for pizza, we're not fond of mozzarella, so goat cheese sounds fabulous in the salad.

    Salute to all of the women who influenced the food world.
    Sam

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  4. Happy Canada Day Val! I hope you have a most awesome, wonderful day!

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  5. What a lovely salad Val. It is a perfect choice for Canada Day. I also love the information you've shared regarding Martha Stewart and her empire. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  6. happy canada day dear!!!!!your recipe looks colorful n delicious!!

    Happy Blogging!!!!
    Food Blog News Daily
    Good Food Recipes

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  7. This dish would be perfect for the hot weather we are having here! Looks delish!

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  8. What a lovely salad to select from Martha's collection of recipes. Martha Stewart is quite an amazing woman isn't she!

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  9. Oh, I'm digging the likeness to caprese, but the creamy tang of goat cheese. Wonderful choice, Val!

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  10. Hey - happy Canada day! Love this salad with its vibrant colours amd flavours, especially the basil vinaigrette!

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  11. Happy Canada Day!! This salad looks DELICIOUS!! I love it!! :)

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  12. I have to confess I have never tried goat cheese, but this certainly makes me want to try it!!

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  13. Happy Canada Day! Can't wait for homegrown tomatoes to try your delicious salad!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  14. happy Canada day Vall! look awesome and nice, I love the colours, LOL gloria

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  15. This is gorgeous, Val - thanks for the great idea of turning the basil into a vinaigrette.

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  16. Happy Canada Day love! I definitely found it hard to choose a Martha recipe but you did a great job selecting yours. Nothing like this simple and delicious salad to hit the spot on a warm summer day.

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  17. Happy Canada Day!!!

    I love the way the sun is streaming over the platter warming the cheese. Yum.

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  18. Excellent choice for your holiday! I hope you're celebrating in high style! Fireworks and all!

    Leave it to good old Martha to give you a great salad that fits the celebration!

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  19. well i haven't been cooking much lately, thats what i've been up too. too much time spent swimming.
    and yes choosing just one martha recipe is hard. i would have chosen one of her french recipes, as she, when she was first starting out, was very very good at recreating some french classics.

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  20. That dish just screams 'summer' at me. The tomatoes in Turkey are ripening beautifully now and we're eating lots of salads like this. I've heard of Martha Stewart but am not familiar with her cooking. Looks like I need to find out more.

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  21. Interessantissimo conoscere la cucina di un altro paese....e poterlo copiare un pò, verrò a trovarti di nuovo!

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  22. Canada is a melting pot of cultures Patrizia with many Italians as well. This salad is obviously a twist on a Caprese, which I love dearly as well.

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  23. What a great recipe to feature! Loved reading what you had to say about Martha!

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  24. Mmmm, Val, you've just given me another great idea to use up some of these tomatoes that I can't keep up with. this vinaigrette sounds awesome! thanks!

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  25. I haven't had a caprese yet this summer. This one looks especially delicious!

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  26. My secret? I've only ever made one MS recipe in my life!

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Welcome to my home. Thank you for choosing to stay a while and for sharing our lives through food. I appreciate all your support, comments, suggestions, and daily encouragement.

Val

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