Salads
Winter salad with spiced pecans, pears and Devon Blue
The spiced pecans are so delicious on their own that you'll have to guard them or they will disappear before you have a chance to serve the salad. You could always give up and serve them pecans own with drinks – but the salad's worth persevering with! If you can't get Devon Blue, Gorgonzola or dolcelatte make good substitutes.
Cook's notes
For a basic vinaigrette, mix together 240ml sunflower oil, 4 tbsp good-quality balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar, ½ garlic clove, crushed to a paste with a little salt, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Ingredients
- 75g pecan nuts
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- dash Tabasco sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- 300g mixed winter salad leaves
- 3 ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced
- 3 tbsp basic vinaigrette
- 75g Devon Blue cheese, crumbled
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
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Step 2
In a small bowl, mix the pecans with the cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and salt. Scatter them over a baking tray and bake in the oven for 5-6 minutes until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
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Step 3
Wash and dry the salad leaves and set aside.
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Step 4
Put the pears and salad leaves in a bowl and toss with the dressing. Divide between 4 plates, scatter over the blue cheese and pecan nuts and serve.