Warm salad with caramelized pear, cream cheese and almonds
2 servings
30 minutes
Warm salad with caramelized pear, cream cheese, and almonds is a harmony of flavors and textures, combining tenderness, sweetness, and a hint of spiciness. This salad is inspired by European traditions of using fruits in appetizers. The caramelized pear adds a subtle sweetness that pairs perfectly with the cream cheese and crunchy almond flakes. The dressing made from mustard, lime juice, and honey highlights the freshness of the ingredients, making the salad light yet rich. This salad is perfect as an exquisite appetizer or a light dinner, especially on cool evenings when you crave something warm and aromatic. It can be served as a standalone dish or paired with white wine and crispy baguette for an ideal gastronomic composition.
1
First, you need to make the sauce, which is a variation of the classic vinaigrette, and it's very simple. Mix mustard, olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, honey, salt, and pepper. It's better to do this with a whisk; the ingredients will blend into an emulsion, and the sauce will thicken slightly.
- Grainy mustard: 1 teaspoon
- Extra virgin olive oil: 5 tablespoon
- White wine vinegar: 1 teaspoon
- Lime juice: 1 teaspoon
- Honey: 1 teaspoon
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
2
Toast almond petals in a dry pan until golden brown and transfer to another container to avoid burning and a bitter taste. This often happens with nuts and seeds; they can burn due to internal temperature if not removed from the pan.
- Grated almonds: 4 tablespoons
3
Cut the cheese into cubes and the cucumbers into slices. It's better to choose young cucumbers with soft skin and no coarse seeds.
- Philadelphia cheese: 100 g
- Cucumbers: 150 g
4
Wash the lettuce leaves and lightly dry them, or rather remove the excess water droplets. Or use a ready-made salad mix.
- Mixed salad leaves: 200 g
5
It's better to take a firm pear (Duchess variety), even if it's not very sweet. Cut the pear into four parts and remove the seeds. Slice it thinly (5 mm). Melt butter in a pan, lightly fry the slices (1 minute on each side), add a teaspoon of palm sugar, dip the pears in the caramel formed and remove from heat.
- Pears: 1 piece
- Butter: 0.5 tablespoon
- Palm sugar: 1 teaspoon
6
It is better to prepare this salad in portions. Arrange lettuce leaves and cucumber slices on two plates. Top with pear slices and cheese cubes. Drizzle the salad with dressing, sprinkle with almond flakes and freshly ground black pepper, and garnish with starfruit slices (or a mint leaf).
- Mixed salad leaves: 200 g
- Cucumbers: 150 g
- Pears: 1 piece
- Philadelphia cheese: 100 g
- Grated almonds: 4 tablespoons
- Ground black pepper: to taste