The warm goat cheese melting in your mouth, the crunch of the fried walnuts, the sweet flavor of the dried cranberries, the delicate butter leaf lettuce, and the acidity of the red wine vinaigrette make this salad extraordinary. My mouth is watering just writing these words! Fortunately I have more ingredients at hand and can make another one for lunch.

Serves about 6

1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
10 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil for dressing, plus more for frying
About 12 cups mixed greens such as butter leaf lettuce, endives, and red leaf lettuce
3 medium sized tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup of dried cranberries

For the walnut coating for the goat cheese, start by making the bread crumbs by chopping bread with a knife or by putting it in a food processor. Mix the bread crumbs with the walnuts, 1 finely chopped shallot, and salt and pepper to taste. In a separate bowl, beat an egg. Now form the goat cheese in to patties so that you have one patty for each salad. Dip the patty in the egg, then in the walnut mixture to coat it. Refrigerate until you are ready to fry them.

When you are ready to fry them, heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. When hot, gently put the goat cheese disks in the pan. If the pan is not large enough to give you room to maneuver without breaking the goat cheese disks, cook them in two batches. Allow the disk to brown slowly on one side, then carefully turn the disks over with a spatula to brown the other side.

To make the vinaigrette, combine a finely chopped shallot with the mustard and vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil forming an emulsion.

Wash and thoroughly dry the greens. If water is left on the greens, the dressing will slide off and you will end up with a pool of oil and vinegar at the bottom of your salad instead of nicely coated leaves. Mix the greens in a large bowl and then toss them with just enough dressing to coat them lightly. Divide them among the plates, then add tomatoes around the edge and sprinkle with cranberries, then top with a warm disk of goat cheese.