Definitely an 11!

ryan and i have this dinner rating system

we have been using since our dating days.

(nearly 4 years now - yeesh!)

it helps us evaluate which meals are worth making again

and dictates how often.

this ranking also serves to evaluate wether a dish deserves

the honor of being made for future special occasions.

it's a scale of 1-10.

actually, it started out as a scale of 1-10 but is more a scale of 8-11.

an odd range (i know) but ryan is too nice to ever give less than an 8

and when something is really delicious frequently gives it 11.

so basically it breaks down like this:

8 - good! (we'd eat it again in a pinch and wouldn't complain)

9 - really good! (a nice consistent menu item)

10 - wow! (a rare but wonderful treat)

11 - AMAZING! (special occasion worthy for sure.)

anyways, tonight was definitely an 11.

(okay, ryan only gave it a 9, but that is mainly due to the fact

that he isn't very fond of goat cheese.)

i, however, am enormously fond of goat cheese,

and am positive tonight's dinner justifies an 11.

the menu:

summer salad

warm goat cheese

honey drzzled corn fritters

ice water

i was inspired by ina garten's recipe for warm goat cheese here,

and prepared a delicious salad to serve it over.

ingredients:

baby romaine lettuce

turkey bacon bits

red onion slices

mushrooms (quartered)

strawberries (quartered)

grape tomatoes (halved)

chopped walnuts

dressing: homemade honey vinaigrette

(using approximately the following ingredients)

1/2 c. olive oil

3 T. rice vinegar

2 T. honey

1 egg yolk

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 t. cream

and the corn-fritters most closely resembled these.

but as mentioned here i suffer from a recipe handicap,

and can never follow one entirely.

(i added a little less butter, more cornmeal, less milk, more corn,

and added some baking powder & honey to the mix)

i also added a couple tablespoons of cornmeal to the breadcrumbs

when cooking the goat cheese to tie the flavor

together with the corn-fritters.

if you like goat cheese this is a must-try!!

crispy edges and so warm & creamy inside i couldn't believe it.

i think it would also be simply divine served with a plate of fresh fruit.

it was however kinda' tricky to handle after cooking because it was so soft. i think next time i will try cooling the cheese in the freezer for 15 minutes instead of the fridge.

if you try this (or any other goat cheese recipe)

let me know how it turns out!

also, the best deal i have found on goat cheese is at costco. it's a huge amount of cheese but so much cheaper than any grocery store where it costs around $8/ 4 oz.

i recommend finding a shopping buddy to split it with.