Crust a Goat Cheese roll with crushed cardamom, pistachio and cashew nuts. Cut into circles. Serve crusted goat cheese salad with a light orange dressing
This is a very pretty salad, if I say so myself. All the colors in this recipe remind me of Christmas
Pistachio recipes always remind me of Christmas. Maybe it is the color or it is the aroma.
Either way, pistachio adds so much flavor to any recipe. They have turned goat cheese into a very delicious block of cheese!
If you are not a vegetarian or a salad lover, this goat cheese salad just might get you to take another look. All these colors and flavors are the embodiment of all vegetarian recipes.
This is also a very easy salad to make. The goat cheese log takes less than 10 minutes to make. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to let all the ingredients blend.
Now, I have a skip in my step and a smile on my face. This salad photo is making me drool and have happy feelings all around.
The other element to this goat cheese salad recipe is cardamom seeds. In Indian recipes, cardamom is almost always paired with pistachios.
Cardamom recipes are so delicious, especially in dessert. Check out this dessert recipe by Manu’s Kitchen for a Seimifreddo.
These seeds are considered exotic, but, I really love their aromatic presence in any food. At restaurants, I can see its aroma waft to my nostrils when the dish is brought into the dining area. If you have images of me as Pepe Le Pew air gliding towards the white aroma lines from a pie in the window sill, then you would be imaging me correctly. 🙂
I know instinctively when a recipe has cardamom. It has a very distinct aroma that stands out in every recipe. It is minty with a slight sweetness in it.
When it comes to the looks department, however, it is beautiful on the outside and ugly on the inside. Sorry, it had to be said.
From the outside, it has a wonderful green shell. But, when you remove the shell, the cardamom seeds look like tiny rat droppings.
I know, I know! You are thinking that this is a first time that a food blogger has talked about rat droppings in a recipe blog.
Cashews round out the flavor of goat cheese, pistachios and cardamom.
I saw a recipe for a pistachio crusted goat cheese on the Heart Beet Kitchen’s blog and I thought I could modify this to my taste.
So, I mixed pistachio and cardamom together. Since the taste can be a little strong, I added cashews to it. Cashews will take away both the pistachio and cardamom’s strong flavors and bring them down a notch.
The goat cheese also gets it flavor enhanced by pistachios and cardamom seeds. Have a taste of the crusted goat cheese and tell me what you think! I would love to hear what you got out of it.
For the dressing, I went really light. I wanted the goat cheese to be the star of your recipe, so, no other flavors should be competing with it.
I used my Star Anise and Orange Dressing. It is very simple and easy to make.
Cardamom and Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese Salad
Cardamom and Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- 20 pistachios unsalted and removed from their shells
- 8 cardamom de-seeded
- 15 cashews unsalted
- 1 6 oz goat cheese
- mixed greens
- ½ cup carrots shredded
- ¼ red onion julienne
- 1 roma tomato cut into rounds
For the Star Anise and Orange Dressing
- 1 orange large and ripe
- 2 star anise
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix the salad ingredients and set aside
- Roughly grind pistachio, cardamom and cashews in a food processor
- On a long dish, spread the pistachio mixture
- Place the goat cheese log on the mixture and roll it around
- Be sure to coat it very well. Don’t let any of the goat cheese be seen.
- Wrap the coated goat cheese in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes
- In a salad plate, add the greens, carrots, onions and tomatoes
- Unwrap the goat cheese and cut it into rounds
- Place the goat cheese circles on the salad
What a great appetizer Rini! I love the idea of a healthy cheese roll.
Thank you, Sandi.
You had me at goat cheese….and then you added pistachios! They are almost in season now and I can’t wait until the harvest! This is on the list for fall salads, yum!
Thank you, Debra. I love goat cheese anytime of the year too.
I remember that song! It is a happy tune, but that hair…I thought only the ladies had big hair in the 80’s 🙂 What a delicious combination of flavors, Rini! I don’t use cardamon much, but I think I need to introduce my palate to the spice!
Thank you, Sandra.
Congrats Rini on also being featured in Deanna’s Olive and Grapevine Salad Newsletter this week!
GREAT salad! Cheers! Joanne
Thank you so much, Joanne!!! I really appreciate it! You are awesome for featuring my recipe. I am grateful and truly honored! 🙂
Wow! I never thought of using cardamom with goat cheese. Thanks for the idea
Thank you, Marsha. You will like the combination of cardamom and goat cheese. I guarantee that. 🙂
A very nice recipe. I will try it with spinach salad
Thank you Sandy. Let me know how it turns out with spinach salad. I am curious how the taste of goat cheese holds up with spinach.
I made a goat cheese crusted appetizer using pistachio and almonds. It came out really delicious. I want to try it with cardamom next
Thank you, Melissa. I have never tried making this recipe with Almonds. I will try it that way. You let me know how it turns out with cardamom
This looks so beautiful. Can you use a different cheese? I don’t like goat cheese
Thank you, Jane. You can try it with any cheese that has the same consistency as goat cheese. Try it with cream cheese or Queso-Fresco. I am saddened to hear that you don’t like Goat Cheese. Personally, it is my favorite cheese.
What a delightful salad addition! And thanks for the re-education on rickrolling 🙂
Thank you so much, Lizzy! I am glad you think the salad is delightful. Coming from you, I consider that a very high compliment! Everyone needs a little Rickroll once in a while
I love the pistachio and cardamom combo! This looks like a delicious way to liven up a boring ole salad! 🙂
Thank you, Christina. It definitely is different. I am so glad that you like it.