Pear & Stilton salad

This is a highly-flavoured yet elegant summer salad that combines the sweet and tart taste of whole pear roasted in red wine and spicy syrup and rich blue cheese with freshly roasted hazelnuts and the saltiness of crispy prosciutto. There are many variations of pear and nut salad (usually using walnuts) – but few with the taste punch of this one. 

We have used expensive English Stilton on this occasion because it was made around Christmas for the summer issue of Foodstyle Review, but you can use any of your favourite blue cheeses and, we believe, you can’t go past a Kiwi blue such the lovely, organic Coromandel Blue from Matatoki Farm Cheese near Thames. 

Many poached pear recipes cut the fruit in half and core it – this one poaches the whole pears lying down in the poaching syrup - turned and basted frequently during the baking. That way, when the pears are cut up, you get the colour effect of the red wine on the outside of the fruit and a creamy white interior. And this is the only fiddly part – as you’ll need to open the oven door and turn and baste the pears with the syrup a few times. 

Ingredients (for four) 

SALAD 

2 x pear 

Cos lettuce heart 

Blue cheese 100g 

Roasted hazelnuts (or walnuts) 75g 

Prosciutto 4 x slices 

POACHING LIQUID 

Large glass of red wine (pour one for yourself too) 

Cinnamon stick 2x 

tablespoons raw sugar or maple syrup 

Ground black pepper 

DRESSING 

Walnut oil 125ml 

Red wine or balsamic vinegar 50ml 

Salt & pepper seasoning 

Pinch of raw sugar 

Method: 

In a deep, small skillet bring sugar, red wine, cinnamon stick and sugar to a simmering point. Peel pears, but leave stems on. Lay pears down so you can turn them over easier to baste. Bake in 180 degree C oven for until pears are tender but not too soft (test with a skewer – usually takes around 15 minutes). Leave pears to cool in the syrup at room temperature. 

Roast strips of prosciutto in the oven until crisp – keep a close eye on them, this is expensive stuff to waste. 

Oven roast hazelnuts in their skins at 180 degrees C (and, again, keep a sharp eye on them as they burn easily), until darkish brown. Let cool before rolling them together in your hands to shell the skins. 

Core and quarter pears and arrange artistically (for lack of a better word) on a big plate with cos lettuce and broken up pieces of the blue cheese. Mix the walnut oil and red wine together, season and drizzle enough over the salad to give it moisture and gloss without drowning it.

Summer 2009

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