Yellow Bean and Fig Salad with Whipped Goat’s Cheese

This weekend I made a salad of crisp yellow beans with figs, roasted almonds and mint leaves, layered over a smear of whipped feta. These yellow beans in my weekly order from https://farmerandson.com.au needed only their stalks trimmed before blanching in boiling water. Combined with luscious, juicy figs and a tangy, lemony eschallot vinaigrette, it made for a lovely late lunch yesterday, sitting on the front porch with my daughter after her touch football game.

I’d never made whipped goat’s cheese before. I think it’s an easy way to make even the simplest salad special. Use goat’s cheese marinated in oil if you can. It’s beautifully soft and creamy, great for whipping with the cream. Just smear it across the plate, and layer the salad ingredients on top. I’ve added some mint leaves from my thriving vegetable garden (a new addition to our garden  – Lockdown Project 2021).

If you like using figs in savoury dishes, you might enjoy grilled figs with pancetta, goat’s cheese and thyme

Best wishes,

Amanda

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Print Recipe

Yellow Bean and Fig Salad with Whipped Goat's Cheese

A late summer salad with fresh figs, yellow beans, roasted almonds, mint and creamy whipped goat's cheese

Servings: 6 people

Author: Amanda Lawson

Ingredients

• 500 g yellow beans, washed, stalks trimmed
• 4 large ripe figs, cut into quarters
• 1/2 cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup marinated goat's cheese (I like Meredith Dairy goat's cheese)
• 2 tbsp cream
• handful mint leaves, removed from stems
• zest of one lemon

Eschallot Vinaigrette

• 1 eschallot, peeled and finely sliced (I like to use a mandolin)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

• For the eschallot vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together and set aside.
• For the whipped goat's cheese, soften it with a fork in a medium-sized bowl, add the cream and whip with an electric beater, until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Blanch the yellow beans in a bowl of boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain and run under cold water.
• Smear the whipped goat's cheese across a flat plate, then arrange the beans and figs on top.
• Spoon half the vinaigrette over the top, but make sure to use all the eschallot. (Save the remainder of the vinagrette for another salad).
• Sprinkle the mint leaves, roasted almonds and lemon zest on top and serve immediately.

Notes

The vinaigrette and the whipped goat's cheese can be made a day ahead. The salad is is best served immediately.