Pear and Goats cheese salad with Sherry vinegar dressing

     Cheese and pears are a common combination, normally to be found with walnuts in a Waldorf salad with blue cheese more often than not being used. The tang and creamy texture of goats cheese along with a sharp,deep flavoured dressing works incredibly well with hazelnuts providing crunch.


Serves 2

1 Ripe pear
100g Goats cheese
Small bag of baby leaf salad
5-6 Hazelnuts
1 Tablespoon runny honey
Half teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 Tablespoon olive oil


1. Heat a large frying pan with a dash of olive oil over a medium heat. Peel, core and slice the pear length ways to produce long strips around half an inch thick. Place in the pan and fry gently for 2-3 minutes turning the pears regularly to gain an even caramelisation. Place on kitchen towel to drain.

2. For the dressing, add the honey and mustard together and mix well, add in the sherry vinegar and olive oil and mix together once again, taste and add more sherry vinegar if you like it sharp or mustard if you like it hot!

3. Dress the leaves with the dressing and cut the goat's cheese into rounds, on a plate or slate, lay a bed of salad leaves, bash the hazelnuts in a pestle and mortar until coarse but not crumbs, sprinkle half over the leaves evenly and top with the goats cheese. Lay the pear slices in between the goat's cheese slices and top with hazelnuts and any remaining dressing. Serve at once.