French · Authentic-ish French
Salade de Chevre Chaud
217 kcal a serving, against 493 for the traditional version. That is 276 kcal off, or 56%, with 9.7g of protein. Serves 4. 15 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A thick, heavy round of soft goat's cheese baked on a giant slice of white baguette until it is oozing and melting. This massive cheese crouton is placed over a bed of frisee. The whole thing is then drenched in a classic French vinaigrette made with three parts olive oil to one part vinegar, ensuring every single leaf is slick with fat and heavy on the palate.
What changed, and what each change costs
240g of soft goat's cheese down to 120g
A massive wheel of cheese is fantastic, but it dominates the plate and ruins the balance. I cut the portion in half and grill it aggressively until the top is deeply charred and blistered. You get much more flavour from less dairy when you let the heat do its job.
What it costs you. You don't get the huge, oozing middle that dramatically spills over the edges of the bread. It is a thinner, crispier layer of cheese.
80g of olive oil down to just 20g
The traditional dressing is a strict ratio of three parts olive oil to one part vinegar. I completely flip that logic and make a sharper dressing using two parts vinegar to one part oil, bulked out with a splash of water and a massive spoonful of mustard.
What it costs you. The dressing absolutely loses its thick, velvety texture. It bites back with acidity instead of smoothly coating your tongue in rich oil.
200g of white baguette down to 100g
You don't need a heavy doorstop of bread to hold up a slice of cheese. I slice the baguette thinly and toast it until it shatters when you bite it. It becomes a crisp vehicle for the cheese rather than a soft sponge for the oil.
What it costs you. You get significantly less bread to mop up the juices at the bottom of the bowl when you're finished.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 493 | 217 |
| Protein | 17.8g | 9.7g |
| Fat | 34.2g | 12.3g |
| Saturated fat | 11.8g | 5.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 30g | 17.8g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3.6g | 4.5g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish French prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. milk, gluten, mustard, sulphites.
The method is in the book
A sharp, crunchy, aggressively seasoned plate of food, then. Not a massive cheese fondue masquerading as a salad, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. The charred goat's cheese punches through the acidic mustard dressing perfectly. You still get the absolute joy of hot melted dairy on toast, but you won't feel like you need a nap afterwards. This is how the dish was always meant to taste.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish French, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback