Arugula, goat cheese salad with fig dressing

To accompany the sweet potato ravioli I made, see previous blog post, I made this salad of arugula, goat cheese and prosciutto with a fig balsamic dressing.

I make, and sell, a fig jam. For some time now I have been racking my brain trying to think of other ways to use it besides eating it with manchego cheese and crackers. A salad dressing kept coming to mind. I kept thinking about trying to make a dressing with the fig jam but couldn't quite figure out what I wanted to do until it dawned on me that I need to create the same flavors for it to be successful. The thing that makes the jam so good with the manchego cheese and salty crackers could also be done with those flavors in a salad. The saltiness of the prosciutto, the creaminess of the goat cheese, the fig, brings it all together. I finally gave it a try and I think it turned out pretty darn good.

The dressing:

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons walnut oil
• 2 tablespoons fig jam
• Salt and Pepper, freshly cracked

In a small add balsamic vinegar then the walnut oil and whisk to blend. Then add the jam, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

The salad:

• Arugula
• Mixture of other greens, any type you like
• Goat cheese
• Prosciutto
• Honey

To assemble: Chill the greens in a bowl in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until they are really cold and crisp. Toss the greens with the dressing and plate. Take one tablespoon of goat cheese and place it in the middle of the greens and a slice of prosciutto on each side. Drizzle the goat cheese with a little honey.