Warm Goat’s Cheese Salad (Salade de Chèvre Chaud)

This Warm Goat’s Cheese Salad is a beloved classic of French bistro cuisine that’s as easy to make at home as it is delicious. Simple yet satisfying, this salad brings together crisp mixed leaves with crunchy bread topped with warm, melted French goat’s cheese, walnuts and a Dijon mustard dressing – the perfect balance of bold flavours and fresh textures.  

French goat’s cheese – called fromage de chèvre in French, or simply chèvre – comes in many forms. This recipe uses Sainte-Maure de Touraine PDO, a log-shaped chèvre cheese with a delicate, creamy texture, but you can use any type of bûche de chèvre (goat’s cheese log) and slice it into rounds. Another option is to use small, individual round goat cheeses such as Crottin de Chavignol PDO, Picodon PDO from Ardèche, or Rocamadour PDO from Dordogne, each offering a unique flavour: Crottin de Chavignol is firm with a nutty, slightly tangy taste, Picodon is soft, and intensely aromatic while Rocamadour is creamy and gooey, perfect for melting.  

Variations on the Salade de Chèvre Chaud are endless: swap the tomatoes for French apples, pears or figs for a sweet contrast, change the walnuts to other nuts like toasted hazelnuts, pecans or pine nuts or replace the bacon for Jambon de Bayonne PGI for a saltier, regional touch. For an extra indulgent twist, you can also prepare breaded goat cheese (chèvre pané): coat slices of goat cheese in flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs, then lightly fry or bake until golden and crisp. This adds a delightful crunch and a richer, more decadent flavour to the salad. 

This salad is a French classic alongside other iconic French salads like Salade Niçoise, which features tuna, olives and hard-boiled eggs, Salade Périgourdine from the southwest, with duck gésiers and walnuts or Salade Lyonnaise from Lyon, combining frisée salad, lardons and a poached egg.