Chicory, Pear, Hazelnut and Goat’s Cheese Salad
When thinking about flavours for a salad, it is worth considering what the principal ingredient is traditionally served with. For example, cheese goes with pears, apples or grapes, all of which could supply the sweetness in this salad. The caramelized pears are delicious, but so, it must be said, are perfectly ripe raw ones, sliced at the last minute (or sliced in advance and kept from browning under water.
The other matters to consider are texture (it’s good to have some crunch, supplied here by the nuts) and colour (which is what the red chicory and watercress are partly for. Without them the whole dish would be white).
SERVES 4
15g/ 1/2oz butter
1 tsp light brown soft sugar
4 small ripe pears, peeled,
cored and quartered
1 red chicory
1 white chicory
a small handful of watercress
200g/7oz goat’s cheese log
20g/ 3/4oz/2 tbsp hazelnuts, toasted
and roughly chopped, to serve
For the dressing
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper
- Heat the grill (broiler) to high.
- Melt the butter and sugar in a frying pan on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the pears and fry until lightly caramelized (about 3 minutes). Remove to a plate and cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- Cut the ends off both chicory and separate the leaves.
Add the chicory leaves and the watercress to the dressing in the bowl, and turn gently to coat the leaves.
- Cut the goat’s cheese into 4 equal slices (see hack).
- Place the cheese slices on an oven tray and grill
(broil) for 1 minute, or until the top of the cheese is golden and bubbling.
- On a large serving plate, or on four individual plates, arrange the salad, caramelized pears and grilled goat’s cheese. Sprinkle with the toasted hazelnuts, to serve.
Credit is: Life’s Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom by Prue Leith, £25 Carnival. Photography Ant Duncan