Baked Winter Pear & Goat's cheese salad, For Belle xxx

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a feast. And this is for my friend Belle , who is always there tweeting on our behalf for @ IrishBlogs. Baked fruit is easy on the cook and easy on the waistline too... And utterly scrumptious. Whether you are a vegetarian or feel like a change this year, or just looking for something different to enjoy over the festive period, here is a dead simple starter for you to try.

Starter :

Winter Pear & Goat's cheese salad

• 3 pears,stalk on
• Log of goat’s cheese or use  creamy camenbert if you prefer
• Hazelnut oil
• Toasted hazelnuts
• Pomegranate seeds
• Watercress
• Hazelnut dressing

For the dressing :

• 1 tbsp of White wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp of clear honey
• 2 tbsp of hazelnut oil
• Fresh ground black pepper & salt

Salt will not dissolve in oil or honey, so ensure the salt is fully dissolved into the vinegar before adding the other ingredients .

Add the honey first then the oil . Warm up the dressing on a very low heat in a sauce pan very gently , taking care not to over heat or it will split and the flavours will evaporate .

To Serve :
Toss up the watercress leaves in your dressing ,add the chopped hazelnuts.

Slice the pears in half, going right through the stalk ,slice again each half in two,  brush with the hazelnut oil and bake in the oven for 10 mins.
Place a slice of gaot’s cheese on top of each half and place under a grill until the cheese starts to bubble.
Place on a serving dish, drizzle with the hazelnut dressing  . Garnish with the  watercress,toasted hazelnuts,scatter generously the pomegranate seeds like jewels and a final sprinkling of fresh ground black pepper.
 
Merry Christmas Belle. xxx

Tagged: pears-goat's cheese- camenbert- xmas starter- vegetarian
 


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