Name: Goat Cheese Salad with Pancetta, Dried Cherry and Port Dressing
Yield: Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups dried tart cherries; 1/2 cup tawny Port; 5 ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped; 2 shallots, minced; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1/3 cup olive oil; 1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1 5.5-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; 1 5-ounce bag mixed salad greens; 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Gay Koenemann of Bonn, Germany, had dinner at 300 East Boulevard on a recent trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. There he was treated to the most exquisite salad he'd ever had. Although the restaurant calls it Fall Salad on the menu, it's enjoyable year-round.

Dried cranberries would make a good alternative to the dried cherries.

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