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reprinted from the Compost NewsLetter

Warm Goat Cheese rolled in Pistachios with Fennel and Blood Oranges

2 Crotin de Chavignol or 1 7 oz. log of Montrachet goat cheese
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons hazelnut oil
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons fennel leaf, chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts
2 blood oranges, peeled and segmented

If you can find it, Crotin de Chavignol is the ideal cheese for a warm dish. It is a slightly aged, white cylinder weighing about three ounces. A dry cheese, it slices well and does not melt in the hot oven as easily as the creamier Montrachet. If you are using the Crotin de Chavignol, slice each cylinder in half to make two disks. Dip each disk in the olive oil used to dress the fennel, coat with the chopped pistachios and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If using the Montrachet, allow one to one and one half ounce per person. Coat each portion with chopped pistachios and leave at room temperature until ready to serve. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Toss the sliced fennel and onion with the olive oil, hazelnut oil, sherry vinegar and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature to marinate for at least one hour.

To serve: Warm the goat cheese in the preheated oven for about five to seven minutes. In the meantime, make a thin bed of the fennel and onions on four plates. Sprinkle with the chopped fennel leaf. Arrange the blood orange segments on the fennel, radiating from the middle. Place the warm goat cheese in the middle of each plate. Decorate with a sprig of fennel leaf and serve.

Serves 4.

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