Chicory, Caramelized Apple, Salted Pecan and Beenleigh Blue Salad with

[Andy Lynes]

Chicory, Caramelized Apple, Salted Pecan and Beenleigh Blue Salad with Mustard and Honey dressing

This recipe is from the Leaf Salads course in the eCGI

This recipe demonstrates the principle of substitution as a method for creating salads. The inspiration for this dish came from the classic combination of pear, blue cheese (normally Stilton) and walnut, and in particular chef Alfred Portale's recipe "Autumn Salad of pears, Gorgonzola and Walnut Vinaigrette" as published in the Gotham Bar and Grill Cook Book.

• 4 heads of chicory
  
• 2 dessert apples
  
• 25 g butter
  
• 25 g dark brown sugar
  
• 30 pecan halves, salted
  
• 200 g Beenliegh or other blue cheese
  
• 1 handful of chopped chives
  

for the dressing

• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
  
• 1 tsp of honey
  
• 1 dessert spoon of red wine vinegar
  
• salt and pepper
  
• 2 floz extra virgin olive oil
  
• 2 floz sunflower oil
  

Salad

Trim the end of the chicory with a small pairing or turning knife.

Seperate the leaves.

Peel, core and slice the apples into 16 segments.

Place into a bowl of acidulated water if you're not using them straight away.

Melt the butter and brown sugar in a thick bottomed pan.

Caramelise the apple over a medium heat then allow to cool completely.

Dressing

Put the mustard honey, vinegar and salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Whisk to an emulsion.

Whisk in the oils slowly. If the resultant dressing is too think, let it down with a little water.

Chop the chives as finely as you can manage.

Roughly chop 10 of the pecans and 12 of the apple slices and place in a bowl with the chicory. Crumble in half the cheese (dice the rest and reserve), then spoon in enough of the dressing just to coat the salad.

Arrange 5 apple slices, 5 pecan halves and 5 cubes of cheese on each plate, then divide the salad mixture evenly and pile it into the centre.

Keywords: Salad, eGCI

( RG908 )