Pear Date & Walnut Salad With Creamy Stilton Dressing

Gary Rhodes' perfect starter for a Boxing day lunch, made with lots of leftovers from the day before

• Cooking Time Prep 30 mins
  
• Skill Level Easy
• Servings Serves 6

Nutrition per serving

• Kcalories

  574

• Protein

  17g

• Carbs

  36g

• Fat

  41g

• Saturates

  17g

• Fibre

  4g

• Sugar

  0g

• Salt

  1.05g

Ingredients

• 3 ripe pears, quartered and cored, peel left on
• juice 1 lime
• 100g crème fraîche
• 300g Stilton, crumbled, room temperature
• 1-2 tbsp ginger syrup (from a jar of ginger in syrup)
• 100g pack broken walnuts
• 12 dates (Medjool are good), stoned and chopped
• walnut oil, for drizzling
• 225g bag mixed salad leaves
• 1 large watercress, divided into sprigs

Directions

1. Cut the pear quarters into thin slices and toss in a bowl with the lime juice to help protect their natural colour. Blend the crème fraîche with half the Stilton, ginger syrup to taste, and enough water (3-4 tbsp) to give a smooth, thick coating consistency. (Don't add too much water or it may separate.)
2. Scatter the pear slices over six serving plates and follow with the walnuts, dates and remaining cheese. Can be prepared to this stage up to an hour ahead.
3. Drizzle each salad with a little of the dressing and some walnut oil. Season with a grinding of pepper-you shouldn't need salt, as the cheese is salty. Mix the salad leaves and watercress very lightly with just a bit more dressing-some leaves should be touched by the dressing, some untouched. Gently pile the leaves on top of each salad.

Categories: All Christmas