Goats cheese, mint and salmon

A quick starter made from a cheese that I adore, le Crottin de Chavignol. My grandmother Emma used to make these little cheeses from milk from her own goats. I'll never forget struggling to milk certain of the more stubborn beasts, and the fun we had tasting these delights at the end of the cellar, spread on traditional wholewheat bread.

Ingredients pour 4 :

6 crottins de Chavignol (or similar firm goat's cheese)

20 cl olive oil

10 fresh mint leaves

250 gr smoked salmon

Lettuce leaves

Walnuts

Vinaigrette:

1 tbsp honey

6 tsp walnut oil

2 tsp xérès red vinegar

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Juice of half a lemon

Salt, pepper

• Crush the cheese with a fork or in a mixer.
• Add the olive oil to obtain a firm paste.
• Add the finely chopped mint, and the smoked salmon cut into small cubes.
• Prepare a bed of lettuce on the plates.
• Using two spoons warmed in hot water, form oval balls or quenelles from the mixture.
• Add the walnuts, the vinaigrette and the walnut oil.