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Fig, pear, hazelnut & Brie salad is a dish I’d scan on a cafe menu & immediately know what I was ordering – a rare occurrence for me I assure you. Chewy dried figs, fragrant ripe pears, toasted hazelnuts & creamy Brie tossed with artisan baby lettuce drizzled in the most divine fig, mustard & balsamic vinaigrette & you have a gorgeous salad fitting for a meal or as a quick & easy appetizer.
Don’t you just love that fresh, new year smell? A year that’s completely unblemished, filled with all sorts of adventures & prospects? Mum gave me the best advice many years ago – “start how you want to finish”. If you think about it, it’s advice to live by. It was advice once given to her & in everything I do for the first time I think of that advice & hear mum’s words. So this year I started it off right with this special salad.
Every truly sublime salad deserves a truly sublime dressing – fig preserves, grainy mustard & balsamic vinaigrette. Simple. And perfectly suited to this salad. The vinaigrette would do double-duty as a glaze for roasted pork I’m certain of it – & I’m going to test that theory in the next couple of weeks.
Pears, like apples, marry fabulously with all cheese, especially a good Brie (or camembert). Remove the Briee from the fridge at least 30 minutes before making the salad to allow it to ‘ripen’ – becoming soft & creamy – heavenly.
Use a variety of baby lettuce leaves or crisp romaine.
For me this salad was completely cooking free as I already had toasted hazelnuts in the freezer. Because of that it look me less than 10 minutes to throw the whole thing together before sitting & enjoying a rare lunch with my husband. Toasting the hazelnuts takes about 10 minutes & is the most arduous part of this simple, rustic recipe.
I have quite the penchant for dried fruit in salads, however you might prefer to use fresh figs when they’re in season. I used dried, dark mission figs.
Any big plans for 2018? Here’s to starting the year off right & making it the best year ever. More love, more abundance, more feeling grateful, more achieving goals & the time to start is right now. Remember the words of my mum & start how you want to finish. Do that & you will own this year. Until next time, cheers, Lovoni xo
- 4 good handfuls of baby salad leaves
- 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup dried figs, halved
- 1 ripe pear, cored & sliced
- 4 oz (113g) brie cheese, sliced & left at room temperature for 30 mins
- FIG & BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fig preserves
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- pinch of salt & pepper
- To make the dressing: Place all ingredients in a small bowl; whisk until very well combine.
- Arrange salad leaves on a platter or two to three individual serving plates.
- Top with hazelnuts, figs, pear slices & Brie. Drizzle with dressing; serve immediately. Serves 2 to 3.
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