Pear, Date and Walnut Salad

Pear, Date and Walnut Salad

3-4 pears
6-8 dates
50g walnuts
100g gorgonzola/blue cheese, broken up into chunks
150g rocket leaves

Dressing:
half a red onion, very finely chopped
15ml red wine vinegar
15ml Dijon mustard
15ml cold water
45ml olive oil

Slice the pears into 3-4mm thick slices and arrange them on a serving platter, overlapping slightly.
Cut the dates into quarters and scatter evenly over the pears.
Scatter the walnuts over as well as the blue cheese.
Top the salad with the rocket leaves.

For the dressing:
Add the onion, vinegar, mustard and water to a small bowl and whisk together.
Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously until all is incorporated and the dressing is amalgamated.

Dress the salad with the vinaigrette and serve.

Puff Stuffed Pears

Puff Stuffed Pears

3 pears
100g blue cheese
50g walnuts
1 x 400g roll of puff pastry
egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 15ml water whisked together
60ml mixed fruit jam
45ml boiling water
a handful of basil leaves, chopped

Preheat your oven to 200℃ and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Wash the pears and dry them.
Cut a slice from the bottom of each pear so that you have a stable, flat surface.
Scoop out the core with a melon baller and set aside.
Cut the blue cheese into small pieces and add it to a bowl with the walnuts.
Mix together until you have a sticky, messy consistency!
Divide the mixture in 3 and stuff it into the pears.
Place the pastry on a work surface and cut 3 rounds, more or less the size of the bottom of the pears.
Place the pastry over the stuffed opening and then place the pears on the prepared baking sheet.
Cut 1cm wide strips from the pastry.
Start at the stalk of the pear and wrap the fruit in the pastry strips.
Brush with egg wash and bake in the oven until golden – about 20 minutes.
Add the fruit jam, boiling water and chopped basil to a small bowl and stir until the jam breaks up into a thin sauce.
Serve the pears warm with the sauce on the side.