Besides finding tender greens for the salad, you will want to find ripe sweet cherries, a soft delicate flavored fresh goat cheese and good quality walnuts.
Don’t get me started on the quality of walnuts…there really is a difference. I usually buy my walnuts at our local farmer’s market or from the bins at Whole Foods but sometimes in a pinch I buy one of those small bags of walnuts from the neighborhood grocery store. You probably know the kind I’m referring to – the small bags of walnuts that cost a fortune and are broken into small pieces that look all crumbly, like the bag was in someone’s pocket for about a year.
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Spinach Salad with Cherries, Goat Cheese and Walnuts
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Besides finding tender greens for the salad, you will want to find ripe sweet cherries, a soft delicate flavored fresh goat cheese and good quality walnuts.
Ingredients
For the Spinach Salad
- 6 cups lightly packed fresh spinach
- 1 cup sweet cherries, pitted and cut in half
- 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup walnut halves, broken in pieces
For the Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon walnut oil
- 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Squeeze lime juice
- Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste
Instructions
Make the Vinaigrette
- Whisk together the oils, champagne vinegar, honey, lime juice, pepper and salt.
Make the Spinach Salad
- Place the spinach in a large bowl and coat with the vinaigrette, or drizzle over the greens on the plates before serving.
- Gently toss in the cherries, goat cheese and walnuts.
- Divide onto 4 salad plates and serve.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Category: Side
- Cuisine: American
Frequently Asked Questions
Why use both extra-virgin olive oil and walnut oil in the vinaigrette?
Walnut oil echoes the walnuts in the salad and adds a nutty depth that plain olive oil alone cannot give you. The balance here is 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to 1 tablespoon of walnut oil, with 1 tablespoon of champagne vinegar and 1 teaspoon of honey to tie it together. 
What makes a walnut worth buying for this salad?
Freshness and size matter — crumbly, dusty pieces from a bag that has been sitting on a shelf will taste bitter and stale. I buy walnut halves from a farmers market or bulk bins and break them into pieces myself. You want halves that still have good weight and a clean, slightly sweet flavor, not rancid or powdery ones.
When should I add the vinaigrette — before or after tossing in the cherries and cheese?
Coat the spinach first so every leaf is lightly dressed, then gently toss in the 1 cup of pitted and halved sweet cherries, 4 oz of crumbled fresh goat cheese, and the walnuts. Adding the cherries and goat cheese after means they stay on top rather than getting crushed and smeared through the leaves during tossing.
