Three Feathers Fennel Salad with Citrus Fruits and Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese
The Three Feathers Chefs love to experiment with Fennel bulbs, otherwise known as Florence Fennel or in Italian, finocchio. Fennel is indigenous to the Mediterranean and therefore a much appreciated vegetable in Italian cooking. Along with it’s unique fresh anise flavor, fennel can be cooked in many ways – sautéed, stewed, braised, roasted, grilled, or eaten raw.
While we enjoy fennel thinly sliced with olive oil, a bit of sea salt and lemon juice, there are a myriad of fennel recipes including grilled calamari and fennel salad and this fennel and goat cheese combination. Designed by Cynthia, this beautiful savory salad is simple to prepare and pairs well with duck, lamb and fish.
A word about Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese by Cypress Grove – this award winning cheese is made with buttermilk and cream with a middle layer of vegetable ash. The addition of Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese in this salad adds a round, creamy citrus note which complements the orange and grapefruit supremes. Fabulous!
Fennel Salad with Citrus Fruits and Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese – the recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 large fennel bulb, sliced very thin (use Cuisinart or mandolin)
- Baby arugula, 6 oz or 8oz package
- Scallions, about 4-6 stalks chopped fine
- 1 Valencia orange, supremes and juice
- 1/2 grapefruit, supremes and juice
- Fennel fronds, lightly chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil
- White wine Tarragon vinegar
- Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese by Cypress Grove, crumbled
Preparation:
- Cut orange supremes and grapefruit supremes. Juice the remainders and set aside. (Throw away the skins)
- Shave the Fennel either using a mandolin or a Cuisinart food processor set to about 2mm.
- In a large bowl toss the fennel with the citrus juice. You can save the supremes for topping the salad or toss with the fennel. As you like.
- Next get you serving bowl ready. In the bottom place the baby arugula. Then the sliced scallions, then the fennel mix. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and white wine tarragon vinegar.
- Finally, crumble the goat cheese on top.
At this point you should chill the salad in the fridge and let it marinate. You want the fennel to be soft. The arugula can also stand up to the acid so this is a good thing to make ahead of time. We were having a picnic so we covered the bowl and let it come to ambient temperature, which is great for the cheese.
Toss well before serving with a fresh bottle of 2022 Three Feathers Pinot Gris. The ladies of Three Feathers are particularly partial to goat cheese with white wine! Our Pinot Gris has just the right acidity and fruit forward punch to enhance these flavors.