Chicory, walnut and roquefort salad
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Chicory, walnut and roquefort salad
‘This salad is simple, but a firm favourite at Brasserie Blanc. As a Frenchman, I naturally regard roquefort as the king of blue cheeses, but there are many wonderful British blues as well, such as stilton or cashel blue. Any of those would make a delicious substitute in this dish.’
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Raymond Blanc
A self-taught chef from the Franche-Comté region of France, Raymond Blanc OBE is chef-patron of the world-famous Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, which has held two Michelin stars since 1985.
Raymond Blanc
A self-taught chef from the Franche-Comté region of France, Raymond Blanc OBE is chef-patron of the world-famous Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire, which has held two Michelin stars since 1985.
Ingredients
- 1 firm, ripe pear or apple
- 6 chicory bulbs (red and/or white), roughly chopped
- 1 celery stick, finely sliced
- 100g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 80g roquefort cheese, chilled
- 1⁄3 x 20g pack chives, finely chopped
For the roquefort dressing
- 75g roquefort cheese, at room temperature
- 1½ tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Step by step
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For the dressing, in a large bowl and using a spatula, cream the room temperature roquefort cheese to a smooth paste. Add 30ml of warm water and the white wine vinegar, then whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until emulsified and season to taste with black pepper.
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Halve, core and finely slice the pear or apple. Place in a salad bowl with the chicory, celery and walnuts. Crumble in two-thirds of the chilled roquefort, add the dressing and toss gently to coat. Crumble the remaining roquefort over the salad and sprinkle with chopped chives and extra black pepper to serve.
