This is basically like a cheese plate salad. To enhance the cheese, I like to incorporate all the elements you find on a cheese platter into the salad grapes, pear, nuts and dried fruits.
Directions for: Endive Radicchio Salad with Oka Cheese
Ingredients
Dried Apricot Vinaigrette4 dried apricots, finely chopped
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3 Tbsp lemon juice
tsp Dijon mustard
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
Saladheads radicchio
1 heads Belgian Endive
1 stalks celery, sliced thinly on the bias
Bartlett pear, cored and sliced thinly
12 seedless red grapes, cut in half
cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted
cup pecan pieces, lightly toasted
6 oz Oka cheese (or other ripe, washed-rind cheese), sliced
Directions
Dried Apricot Vinaigrette1. For vinaigrette, soak chopped apricots in hot water for 2 minutes to soften, then drain and stir in lemon zest and set aside.
2. Whisk lemon juice and Dijon, then slowly pour in olive oil while whisking. Stir in chopped apricots, then whisk in 2 Tbsp room temperature water.
3. Season to taste. Stir in chives immediately before serving.
Salad1. To assemble salad, peel off radicchio leaves. Arrange 1 leaf on each of 4 salad plates (or on a platter), then chop remaining and place in a bowl. Peel away 4 endive spears and arrange beside radicchio leaves, then chop remaining and add to bowl with radicchio and celery.
2. Spoon a little vinaigrette over greens and toss to coat. Spoon salad onto each plate (or onto platter) and arrange pear, grapes and walnuts or pecans on top. Drizzle with a little more vinaigrette.
3. Arrange cheese slices just beside salad and serve.
See more: Cheese, Salad, Side, Lunch, Dinner, Vegetarian, Nuts