Because this salad is as great for a solo lunch as it is for a group, I omitted specific measurements. If you are serving the salad as a main course, I'd allow about 8 spears of asparagus per person and 2 chèvre croutons.
Ingredients
Asparagus Stalks, tough ends snapped off
Baguette, cut in ½ in. thick slices
Log of Fresh Goat Cheese (Chèvre), cut into ¼ in. thick rounds
Walnuts
Arugula
Shallot, thinly sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Honey
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°.
On a baking sheet, lightly drizzle asparagus with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Place baguette slices and walnuts on the baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, until the walnuts are fragrant and the bread has started to turn golden.
Remove and reserve the toasted walnuts. Flip the bread and top with the goat cheese. Turn your broiler to high and return the baking sheet to the oven for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is warm and the asparagus is roasted but still slightly crisp.
Meanwhile, dress the salad. Toss the arugula, shallots, and half of the toasted walnuts with olive oil, salt, and pepper, to taste. Add a few drops of balsamic vinegar, toss to coat.
Arrange the roasted asparagus spears on a plate or platter. Mound the dressed arugula over the asparagus. Top with the goat cheese croutons. Drizzle the cheese with a little honey and sprinkle with the remaining nuts.
Recipe by strawberryplum at http://www.strawberryplum.com/chevre-chaud-salad-with-roasted-asparagus/