Witlof, caramelised walnut and Roquefort salad

Crunchy and creamy with a traditional French dressing.

• serves

  6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 150 g (1½ cups) walnuts
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp walnut oil (see Note)
• 2 witlof (Belgian endive), trimmed, leaves separated
• 2 bunches watercress, coarse stems removed
• 2 tbsp chopped curly parsley
• 150 g Roquefort (see Note), crumbled

Tarragon and mustard dressing

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1½ tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 60 ml (¼ cup) walnut oil
• ½ tsp tarragon, finely chopped

Cooling time 5 minutes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C. To make dressing, mash garlic with ¼ tsp salt in a bowl to a paste. Whisk in mustard and lemon juice, then add oil in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly until thick and emulsified. Whisk in tarragon, then season with salt and pepper.

Place walnuts on a small oven tray and roast, stirring halfway, for 10 minutes or until fragrant and toasted. Remove from oven and transfer to a small non-stick frying pan. Add sugar, ½ tsp salt and walnut oil, and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 3 minutes or until sugar has caramelised and coated nuts. Transfer to an oven tray lined with baking paper and cool. Once cool enough to handle, break into smaller pieces.

Place witlof, watercress and parsley in a large bowl. Drizzle over dressing, tossing to coat. Serve salad topped with crumbled Roquefort and caramelised walnuts.

Note

• Walnut oil is available from select delis, greengrocers and specialist food shops.

• Roquefort is a soft, blue sheep’s milk cheese from the south of France. It is available from delis, cheese shops and select greengrocers.

Photography by Olga Bennett.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.