Sunny Salad with Goat's Cheese

Summer has arrived here. And after a long, hot day, nothing tastes better than a crispy salad on your balcony or in your garden. Of course with a glass of cool rosé. Or have it during lunch, under a parasol... of course with a glass of cool rosé... Fancy yourself Greek for a moment, minus the huge debts.

Kitchen utensils

• chopping board
• sharp knife
• oven
• butter brush (I have silicone one, because it is easer to clean than the wooden ones. Plus, I suspect the bristles of the wooden ones come of the back of a pig. No... no... no...)

Ingredients

• mixed salad (I used a mixture of rocket, baby leaves and lollo rosso)
• goat's cheese (Dutch Albert Heijn has goat's cheese without rennet)
• cherry tomatoes
• sun dried tomatoes (I usually buy the ones in a bag, instead of the ones in a jar. An opened jar will only keep five days in the fridge, a bag of dried tomatoes lasts much longer and they don't have so many calories as the tomatoes in oil. You need to soak them in lukewarm water for about 15, 20 minutes, rinse them with cold water to get rid of the salt and they are ready to use. Personally, I like the dried tomatoes just as much as the ones in oil. Experiment with brands. I recently had a cheap one that was horrible. Same goes for the ones in jars, there are major differences between brands. Always look on the pack for instructions.)
• walnuts
• pine nuts
• balsamico cream (balsamico cream is thicker and sweeter than plain balsamico and I like it better in these kind of salads or on bread.)
• bread (I used ciabatta.)
• olive oil
• sea salt (optional)

Preheat oven to about 200 Celsius/400 Fahrenheit. In the mean time, chop a few tomatoes, dried and fresh. Crush some walnuts and pine nuts. Cube goat's cheese. Cut bread in long slices, about an inch, two centimetres thick. Rub the slices with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt over them if your blood pressure allows it. Heat slices in preheated oven till warm, this should take about 5 to 10 minutes. Keep watch, because you don't want them to be too crunchy. Place salad in bowl or deep plate, put tomatoes and goat's cheese on top and sprinkle the nuts over it. Pour a little bit of balsamico cream over your salad. Take care not to use too much as it has quite a overbearing taste. Serve with warm ciabatta and rosé or white wine.