Pear, Blue Cheese, Endive & Walnuts Salad
Bitter leaves, sweet pears, blue cheese and a mustard-y, French-style vinaigrette. This is a very grown-up salad and a real speedy treat.
INGREDIENTS:
- 50g (1¾oz) walnut pieces
- ∙ a knob of butter
- ∙ 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ∙ 2 heads of endive/chicory (ideally 1 red and 1 white), broken into leaves, core trimmed away
- ∙ 1 pear, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
- lengthways
- ∙ 200g (7oz) crumbly blue cheese (we like
- Stilton, but any blue cheese will work)
FOR THE DRESSING:
- ∙ 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ∙ 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
- ∙ 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- ∙ 1 teaspoon honey
- ∙ a pinch of salt
METHOD:
1. Place a small pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the
walnuts and butter, and cook, stirring, until the walnuts are
lightly toasted and coated in the melted butter, 1–2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the maple syrup,
which will foam up. Stir to coat everything again and set aside.
2. Place the endive/chicory leaves in a bowl with the pear.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients together
until smooth and emulsified, then add a splash of water to
thin until pourable.
4. Spoon half of the dressing over the salad, then add the
crumbled cheese and the candied walnuts and a little more
dressing. Serve immediately.
