Wednesday, 9 May 2012

Salad of Watercress, Quince, Glazed Pecans and Goat’s Cheese with Citrus Dressing


From For the Love of Food, Denis Cotter, Collins, 2011.

I was not sure about making this salad; it seemed to me to be an unusual mix of ingredients. But I’m glad I tried it.

The quince had to be cooked. It did not take over long to be simmered in some sugar and water before it became soft.


The glazed pecans took a little more effort. The oven had to be preheated to 130°C. While this was warming some caster sugar and a teaspoon of maple syrup were heated in a saucepan until the sugar had melted. The pecans were then stirred in and then spread out on some baking paper on an oven tray. They were baked for 20 minutes then taken out and left to cool. They became quite crisp.

The dressing came next. This was made with the zest and juice of an orange, the juice of a lemon, and some olive oil. The recipe called for a small amount of hazelnut oil but I dispensed with this as I had none.

The salad was then put together, watercress, crumbled goat’s cheese, the sliced quince and the pecans. It was then dressed.

The unusual mix worked really well. The sweet quince against the creamy cheese and the peppery watercress, together with the crunch and sweet nuttiness of the pecans, was a truly fresh salad.

This book is a pleasure to work with for it continually surprises and delights.



Taste: ✔✔✔✔
Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔

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