Today while walking the dog I walked past lettuces, Romaine, Lollo Rosso and Cos …
Almond trees with their beautiful barely pink blossom….
A bee on wild rosemary flowers…..
Some unexpected pears amongst the ever present mandarins……..
And some goats which reminded of my visit to the local Goat’s Cheese producer “El Pastor del Valle”….
This just shows how my mind works and proves that I am thinking about food all the time. While I am walking the inspiration and ideas come from all around me and somehow work themselves out into a finished dish….
This salad can be served for lunch or as a starter. It would also work as a dessert/cheese course after a meal or with drinks. Just arrange the pears, cheese, almonds and honey on a board with some biscuits and let everyone help themselves. The flavour combination of sour sharp goat’s cheese, sweet honey, juicy pears and crunchy almonds is a lovely alternative to the Stilton, Pear & Walnut classic….
Goat’s Cheese & Pear Salad with Toasted Almonds and Rosemary Honey Dressing
serves 2 vegetarian
- 2 pears, peeled, cored, sliced
- about 150gr goat’s cheese (I used a hard goat’ cheese but you can use a soft rind) sliced
- a handful of toasted almonds, plus extra for garnish
- some mixed lettuce leaves (a big handful each)
- about 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp sherry (Jerez) vinegar (or balsamic)
- 2 tbsp rosemary honey (just use normal honey and add about 1/4 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary if you don’t have any)
- salt & pepper
- rosemary flowers to garnish (if you can find some) but not too many they are very strong
Wash & pick your salad leaves and put them in a large bowl with the sliced pears, cheese and toasted almonds. Pour the olive oil, vinegar and rosemary honey into a small bowl and whisk together well. Season with salt & pepper and taste, you can add more oil/vinegar/honey to your taste. Pour the dressing over the ingredients in the bowl and toss together with your hands. Pile onto your serving plate(s), add a few rosemary flowers onto the cheese & pears and top with some more toasted almonds…
It really is that simple, enjoy!!
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Beautiful salad and beautiful scenery!!!!
Wow, I am so envious of where you live! Look at that scenery… I rarely get to see things like that where I live. Can I ask where you live?
This salad looks amazing! I love delicious salads and would live solely off of them if it weren’t for my husband. He needs something more substantial 😉 I do love goat cheese and pears in salads… yum.
We live in a town called Alhaurin el Grande in the mountains inland from Malaga in Andalucia, we really have the best of both worlds , mountains for walking and the beach half an hour away!
It looks yummy!
Fabulous pear-fect combination 🙂
Love the beautiful photos and scenery. The bee on the rosemary flower. Oh please bring on summer here!
This salad looks so healthy and delicious! I love the plate you presented it on too!
Oh, boy, is that one beautiful salad…I love your photos!
Goat cheese and pears are really great combination 🙂 and especially if you are using fresh nice cheese.. I can only envy you
I think I’ve told you before Natalie, that I envy you for living in Andalucia – one of the two places I’m obsessed with, the other being Morocco. Well, these photos are stirring those feelings again *sigh* GORGEOUS!!! The salad is impressive too 🙂