Having eaten my fair share of mince pies and all the other heavy foods associated with Christmas, I long for something light and fresh in January. Pears and walnuts make great partners in a salad and with a cheese dressing, peppery rocket leaves, spinach and watercress the combination is delicious.
We always seem to have some stilton left over after Christmas so this is a great way to use it up. If you grow your own pears you might have stored some ‘Winter Nellis‘, a late pear harvested in November. If not, most shops will stock Comice or Conference which are sweet and juicy. You might also have some walnuts from the autumn.
Ingredients
- 170g Stilton, crumbled
- 142ml carton single cream
- 2 ripe pears, peeled
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 90g pack watercress, spinach and rocket salad
- 25g walnut halves, toasted
Instructions
- In a small pan, gently heat 110g of the crumbled Stilton and all of the single cream until the cheese has melted and the dressing is smooth.
- Slice each pear into thick wedges and remove the core. Toss into the lemon juice.
- Divide the salad leaves between six plates.
- Scatter with the pears, walnuts and remaining Stilton.
- Drizzle with the dressing and serve at once.