Summer Soup: Chilled Carrot Harissa Soup with Sweet Goat Cheese, Radish, Pursalene, Black Truffle, Beet Puree.

Summer Soup

On a hot summer day, there is nothing better than a cold soup that's actually delicious. We made this soup at work the other day, and it was great, so I took a cup home and put my own spin on it. My favorite part of this dish is the textures that exist in each component. Pursalene is a delicious leaf green, but is actually considered a weed. It is great to use in soups, salads, or to add color or texture to any dish really. Here, the Pursalene gives a nice fresh crunch when bitten into. (above, Pursalene)

Here is my plating of the dish:

The Goat Cheese I used here is something we use at work, called Moroccan Goat Cheese.
It is so good, that when making it, I think I taste it at least 5 times for "quality control"...

Moroccan Goat Cheese, Ana Sortun Recipe

1/2 Onion- Small dice
3 Oz lemon juice
1 Cup Cilantro leaves- Chiffonade
8 Oz Goat Cheese X2
1/4 Cup E.V.O.O
3/4 Cup Golden Raisin
1/4 C Slivered Almonds (Optionally toasted @325 for 3-5 mins, or until golden)

Dice the onion, and then let it cure in the lemon juice and 1tea Salt for about 10-15 minutes, this will lessen the sharp flavor of raw onion, but still have the nice crunch. Then, mix in the olive oil and goat cheese and incorporate. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and enjoy!
There are many applications for this cheese. I have made it into a ravioli filling, I have eaten it in salads, and even breaded it and deep fried it for a goat cheese fritter of sorts.

Black Truffle: go buy some NOW. Whether it be truffle salt, oil, or the real thing. But I LOVE truffles, so try doing something with them, it works well in pastas, risottos, and as a garnish for a wide variety of things.

Burrata with Italian Speck and Peach Goat Cheese

Burrata is a favorite cheese of mine. It is a fresh cheese, made from mozzarella and cream (so whole milk and cream together). The outside of the cheese has the texture of fresh mozzarella, but the inside is smooth and creamy. Buratta means buttered in Italian, and when you eat the cheese, you know exactly why.
Tonight I made a Burrata dish using Italian Speck (Smoked Prosciutto), Cherry Tomatoes, Peach Goat Cheese, Whole Grain Mustard, Pickles, E.V.O.O., Baby Basil, Truffle Pecorino, and Balsalmic Vinegar.

Method: I started by covering the bottom of my dish with Oil, and placing the Burrata in it. Then I salted and peppered the cheese. Next I squeezed my sauces onto the plate in a circular motion. Next, I placed the Crostini, Mustard, Tomatoes, and Basil on the cheese, and finished with the Spek on the large rim of the bowl. Right before serving, place drops of the Balsalmic into the oil, and it will separate, as shown in the photo. Garnish with Pickle and Chive. Voila! 

There are a few essential culinary tools that allowed me to plate this dish as pictured above. First, invest in a ring mold (a circular mold that helps shape ingredients on a plate), here it helped push the Burrata into a perfect circle shape.

A squeeze bottle (Think of the container of ketchup at a clam shack on the Cape, except cleaner...), This tool will help you be clean and deliberate with your sauces when plating. You can make nice long streaks, as pictured here, and also make Balsalmic Vinegar dots in the Olive Oil. Squeeze bottles can also be used as salad dressing containers, syrup containers, or as a juice dispenser.

The Speck Ham is an essential item in this dish. A good cured meat pairs exceptionally with this cheese.

Peach Goat Cheese:

8oz Goat Cheese

2 peaches

2T Butter

Cut the peaches into 8ths, and sautee slowly in the butter for about 10-15 minutes. Puree peaches in a blender. Add goat cheese to the puree and pulse until homogenized. Let cool in the fridge for 1 hour, or until set. Serve with crackers or raw vegetables.