Today, I’m sharing a recipe for a Roasted Beet, Grilled Corn, Tomato Salad with Montamore Cheese and Walnuts that I view as a transition salad – that is, a salad that speaks to the cooler weather that we are hopefully putting behind us for the season, and the warmer Spring air that I hope is going to come and stay. I can’t wait until the weather really warms up and the farmer’s market opens with all the local fresh produce.
This salad is a mix of cooler weather and warmer weather ingredients, with roasted beets and “grilled” corn (I actually pan-roasted frozen corn since corn isn’t in season yet). I spotted a similar salad on a menu from a local restaurant a while ago and thought it was an interesting combination of textures and flavors. Their salad description included Honey Goat Cheese.
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I’m not sure what Honey Goat Cheese is, but I liked the idea of sweet, savory and tangy flavors with lots of textures going on in this salad. So, I tried coming up with my own salad based on what I imagined this salad might taste like. Instead of Honey Goat Cheese (I’m not even sure this exists – perhaps the restaurant mixes honey into the goat cheese?), I used crumbled Sartori’s Montamore Cheese and made a Balsamic Honey Vinaigrette using Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar (I bought this from Home Goods believe it or not). Montamore cheese is fruity and tangy at the same time, creamy in texture, but semi-firm so it can be crumbled.
Recently, I served this Roasted Beet Grilled Corn Tomato Salad with Montamore Cheese and Walnuts at a soup class I taught at our local senior center. I wanted to make something special to go along with the Chicken Chorizo Kale Farro Soup and the cheese platter (compliments of Sartori – thank you!).
Not only is this salad naturally beautiful, but it is really good – just ask anyone from my soup class.
I’d like to give a shout out to Sartori Cheese, based in Wisconsin. Not only do they make some fine cheeses, but they are good people. They generously provided a beautiful assortment of artisan cheeses for my soup class at our local senior center, which was greatly appreciated and enjoyed by everyone.
I have been cooking with Sartori Cheeses for the past several months, and have enjoyed trying the diverse offerings that this fourth-generation family-owned and operated business offers. Sartori has strong relationships with family farmers (many of whom have supplied milk for several generations) and cheesemakers, so that tells me they care a lot about what goes into their products.
It’s so interesting, I finally had a chance to read about the Sartori family history and how they came to the United States and started their business. Paolo Sartori, the founder, came to America to achieve his American dream. He started a cheese company in 1939 with an aspiration to make the best cheese in the world. I’m not a history buff by any means, but I was so impressed to learn that Paolo received U.S. patents for “Cheese Curd Machine” and “Curd Mixing and Kneading Machine” within 7 years of starting his company.
Over the past few years, Sartori’s cheese has been honored with over 100 awards (including “The Best New Cheese in the World” at the World Cheese Awards in Dublin, Ireland, and Best Parmesan in the USA), medals and ribbons at the most competitive and prestigious cheese contests and competitions around the globe. Sartori credits their local family milk farmer partners and their experienced Master Cheesemakers who create the cheese.
Another thing I like about Sartori’s cheeses is that their Sartori Reserve, Sartori Classic, and Sartori Limited Edition cheese varieties are all certified rBST-free, meaning they are all free of added hormones (all Sartori cheese is gluten-free except for Raspberry BellaVitano®, which contains wheat ale.)
Roasted Beet Salad, Grilled Corn, Tomato Salad with Montamore Cheese and Walnuts
Ingredients
- 4 cups baby mixed greens
- 1 cup roasted beets cut into bite size pieces
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
- 1/4 cup crumbled Montamore cheese or goat cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional Add-Ins
- 1/2 cup fresh cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup pan-roasted corn kernels
Balsamic Honey Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup pomegranate balsamic vinegar or any kind you have
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free soy sauce
Instructions
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Toss salad greens, roasted beets, corn, walnuts and goat cheese together. Add tomato and grilled corn if desired.
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Whisk together Balsamic Honey Vinaigrette ingredients.
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Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss well. Serve immediately.
Disclosure: Sartori generously provided cheeses for my senior center soup class for which I am extremely grateful.
Salmon Roasted Beet Feta Salad with Dill Salad Dressing Recipe {Daniel Plan Recipe}
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Oh girl, that is gorgeous!
Wow, what a lovely salad! I love those big chunks of walnut and feta. Great summery salad!
Yum, that’s a beautiful salad! Love that it has beets and walnuts to give it it a nice refreshing crunch:)
What’s not to love about this salad? Beets are my favorite.
I can’t do the beets, I just can’t get over my dislike of them. But it’s a lovely looking salad!
I adore everything about this salad. And I’m right there with you on the transition salad… it’s not quite that time for bright and light salads. Still need those ingredients that will fill you up. And this fits the bill!
What a wonderful mix of flavors and colors, so pretty!
Thanks Sylvie – lots of textures, colors and flavors going on in this salad – my class loved it!
Im working very hard to put more salads in our diet. And hear roasted beets are amazing. This salad looks beautiful and I love all the textures in it. I can’t wait to try my hand at this recipe!
I have experimented with making my own Raspberry vinaigrette from scratch. Slowly cook some raspberries in a Tbsp of water stirring until the berry’s break down and then run them through a sieve to remove seeds. You can choose to reduce further if you like and then add a good balsamic to taste with a pinch of sugar. I can be difficult to get the acid right but it’s worth it when it works.
Marshall, your Raspberry vinaigrette sounds delicious – thanks so much for sharing how you make it. I’ll have to give it a try.