Chevre and Herb Tart with Shaved Pear and Fennel Salad with Goat's Curd

The two dishes that will wrap up this great week of goats cheese delights are both French influenced. However they come from two Australian-based chefs. The first dish was created by Philip Johnson, whose restaurant E'cco in Brisbane won the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year Award in 1997. E'cco has remained at the top of Brisbane dining elite since that time, winning numerous awards. This simple salad is a perfect balance of flavours and textures and is always a hit. A simple dressing balances the tartness of lemon juice and sharpness of seeded and Dijon mustards, rounded off with olive oil and the sweetness of honey. The salad itself combines crunchy fennel and pear with red onion and Italian parsley. The salad is then finished off with the smooth textured sour note of goats curd and a final drizzle of honey and cracked pepper.



The second dish comes from Sydney chef and restauranteur Damien Pignolet, who brought iconic restaurant Claude's to fame in the eighties and more recently, Bistro Moncur. This classic French dish of chevre and herb tart combines a crumbly short crust pastry base, which is the best recipe I have ever found, with a rich and soft cream and egg filling flavoured with a blend of herbs, baby spinach and the tartness of mature goats cheese. This tart is perfect for a late Sunday lunch and Pignolet suggests a glass of Pouilly Fume or Rose as the perfect match.