The Hussar Grill’s sweet and tangy pear, blue cheese and walnut salad sets a sophisticated tone this summer.
An upmarket twist on the summer salad theme, this more-ish dish can be enjoyed as a meal in its own right or as part of a larger feast. The sweet caramelised pears in this salad complement red onions and tomatoes and off-set the distinctly piquant blue cheese. The walnuts and roasted seeds add a nutty, toasty flavour, while the cucumbers and lettuce add a crisp freshness to the dish.
Ingredients
Caramelised Pears
Make a batch (1kg) of caramelised pears and store them in the fridge in a large glass jar for another day’s meal as you won’t need the whole batch for one salad.
- 1kg pears, cleaned and cores removed
- 400g castor sugar
- 400ml boiling water
- 1 sprig rosemary
Salad
- 50g mixed salad leaves
- 70g caramelised pears
- 30g walnuts
- 60g tomatoes
- 50g cucumbers
- 20g red onions
- 40g blue cheese
- 10g roasted seeds
Salad dressing of your choice
Method
For the caramelised pears:
Place sugar in a big steel pan and heat up over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and caramelised. Add boiling water and stir to make caramel syrup. Add pears and rosemary. Cook until soft and brown in colour. Cool slightly and add to the salad mix. Store the remaining pears in syrup in a large glass jar and refrigerate for next time.
For the salad:
Dress the leaves in salad dressing of your choice (we recommend a light vinaigrette). Build the salad by placing the ingredients randomly through the baby leaves, finishing with blue cheese, pears and walnuts on top.
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