Orangette's Cherry Bread Salad with Goat Cheese

All covered with (goat) cheese...

I promise that one day soon I will get over my obsession with Orangette's new cookbook. But not yet.

I love cherries. A lot. I actually get really excited when I go to the store during cherry season. I have a somewhat gross story that illustrates the extent of my cherry love. Since this is a food blog, I will refrain from telling it, but it did involve me losing a toenail.

When I saw this recipe in Orangette's book, I knew I had to make it as soon as cherries came into season. I went to the store this weekend, and they had gotten their first shipment. I controlled myself and only bought one bag. You could tell they were early season cherries, possibly even from a greenhouse, a little sour, not like the sweet summer ones I love. But they did work their magic. I ate half the bag as soon as I got home.

The other half, I saved for this salad. It was worth the sacrifice.

Orangette recommends adding several handfuls of arugula to the salad. I sort of hate arugula (sorry, Barack Obama), so I left it out. The salad is perfectly fine without it, but if you don't dislike arugula, you might considering adding some in.

Eat Rating: Awesome. I think I would eat this every day if CCO wouldn't boycott.
Difficulty: Easy. This would be substantially easier to make if you own a cherry pitter. (Sadly all my friends just mocked me when I asked for one for my birthday.) But you can just as easily pit cherries with a knife.

From "A Homemade Life" by Molly Wizenberg

1/2 lb cherries, pitted
6 oz white bread, preferably day old (LN: We used half of a baguette I bought that day and it worked fine)
Olive oil
1/4 tsp crushed garlic
2-3 tsp balsamic vinegar
3-4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Arugula (if that's your thing)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Tear the bread into bite-sized hunks, lay out on a cookie sheet and lightly sprinkle with olive oil. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until you have lightly toasted crouton-type things.

Put about 1/3 of your pitted cherries in a bowl and crush them with the back of a spoon/fork to release the juices.

When the bread is finished, let cool for a minute, then place in a large bowl with the garlic and toss to coat. Let cool a minute. Add the cherries -- crushed and whole -- and toss again. Sprinkle with 2-3 tsp of balsamic vinegar. (I went with 3, she recommends 2) Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and the goat cheese and toss again. If you're using arugula, add that in now and toss to mix. Serve immediately.