Goat Cheese And Spinach Salad With Warm Vinaigrette - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/4 lb boucheron cheese (French) or 1/4 lb goat cheese (French)
1 1/2 lbs spinach
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

Preparation

Several hours before serving, remove the Bucheron from the refrigerator (it should be very cold); pull off the skin that encircles the cheese.
With a sharp knife, cut the Bucheron into 6 thin slices and place on a large plate.
Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until ready to assemble the salad. (If the edges crumble a bit, don't worry--put the crumbled cheese aside with the slices.).
Wash the spinach in a sink filled with cold water, pulling the stems off the leaves.
Drain in a colander and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
Tear the leaves into pieces and set aside in a salad bowl.
Combine the shallot, mustard, basil, sugar, salt, pepper to taste, vinegar, and oil in a small bowl and reserve.
When ready to serve, toss the spinach with 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette--enough to barely coat the leaves.
Arrange the spinach on 6 salad plates and arrange a slice of cheese on top of each bed of spinach.
In a small saucepan, warm the remaining vinaigrette over moderate heat.
As it comes just to a simmer, drizzle it in equal portions over the cheese and spinach.
Serve immediately.