Devon Blue, Walnut & Nectarine Salad
Summer calls for a more relaxed way of cooking and eating, and this recipe is pretty flexible. You can tweak the dressing; substitute peaches, ripe pears or even figs for the nectarines; use any salad leaves and blue cheese you like (or choose goat’s cheese or feta); and swap the walnuts for toasted hazelnuts or almonds. As long as you have sweet, ripe fruit, full-flavoured cheese and some crunchy nuts for texture, it’ll work beautifully. Serves 2 generously.
Method
To toast the nuts, preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4). Spread the walnuts evenly in a single layer on a baking tray, then put them in the hot oven for 5 minutes (they tend to burn if left any longer, so watch them carefully). Tip the roasted nuts on to a plate and leave them to cool.
Next, make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey and mustard, adding salt and pepper to your taste. Divide the salad leaves and watercress/rocket evenly between two serving plates, then - holding them over a bowl to catch any juice - cut the nectarines in half and remove the stone, and cut the flesh into slender wedges. Tip any nectarine juice from the bowl into the dressing and whisk to mix (you may want to check and adjust the seasoning again). Divide the nectarine wedges equally between the plates, then crumble over the blue cheese.
Drizzle some of the dressing over each plate, then scatter over the toasted walnuts. Serve with any remaining dressing.
