Chevre chaud - grilled goat cheese on a bed of lettuce

Chèvre chaud means "hot goat". While Yankees were stuffing buns with frankfurters and calling them "hot dogs", the French were grilling goat cheese and serving it on a bed of lettuce with honey-mustard dressing.

Raw goat cheese is sharp and dry, not my personal favourite. The magic of grilling transforms it into lush runny goodness with flavourful seared crust. I must be imagining it but it even develops a certain smokiness in the process. Yum.

The dressing is simple and delicious and can be used with any vegetable salad. Just toss the following ingredients until they all dissolve and mix into homogeneous liquid:

• equal shares of white wine vinegar and olive oil;
• equal shares of honey and grainy mustard (about half the vinegar and oil volume);
• freshly ground black pepper;
• sea salt;
• this is my addition: a wee dash of granulated garlic powder, which adds the toasted garlic flavour to what the Japanese call kakuashi-aji, hidden, background taste.