This is preposterously tasty, and perfect for colder days when you want something crunchy and fresh but comforting too. If you’ve never grilled grapes before, you’re in for a very pleasant surprise – heat transforms them into intense little juicy orbs of joy.
You may want to make extra salty-sweet walnuts; I find there are very few left by the time I actually assemble my salad…
Serves: 4
Photography: Sam Harris
Season: Autumn/Winter
Ingredients
250g black grapes
15g butter
75g walnuts, roughly chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
6 Little Gem lettuces, each cut into 4 wedges through the stem
1 large, not-too-ripe pear, quartered, cored and sliced
A few sprigs of tarragon or a few chives, chopped
Salt and pepper
For the blue cheese dressing
150g blue cheese such as Stilton, Stichelton, Cashel Blue or Gorgonzola
3 tbsp Greek yogurt or soured cream
2½ tbsp white wine vinegar
6 tbsp olive oil
Method
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Preheat the grill to high. Line a small baking tray with greaseproof paper. Cut the grapes into small bunches of about 3–5 grapes, sit on the baking tray, and grill for 5–7 minutes until the skins start to split and the juices begin to run. Remove, sprinkle with a little salt and leave to cool.
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Meanwhile, line a small plate with a piece of kitchen paper. Warm the butter in a small frying pan over a medium-low heat and add the walnuts. Fry gently for about 3 minutes, stirring, until the butter smells nutty and the walnuts begin to turn golden on the edges, then tip onto the kitchen paper and immediately sprinkle over the sugar and ½ teaspoon of salt, shaking the paper so that it all gets tossed together. Leave to cool.
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Next, make the dressing. Put half the blue cheese, the yogurt and vinegar in a bowl and use a hand blender to blitz until smooth-ish, then blitz in the oil until you have a creamy dressing. Season to taste.
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Arrange the lettuce wedges on four plates or a big platter. Tuck the pear slices in between the wedges and spoon over the dressing, then crumble over the remaining blue cheese in small chunks. Scatter over the walnuts and herbs, then spoon over the cooled grapes and their juices and serve.
Read more: Let’s Do Lunch
Georgia’s cooking is simple, and it’s exactly what you want when you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen but still eat incredibly delicious food. It’s inventive, fun and her cookbook will mean that you’ll pretty much never be out of ideas for lunch again. Extracted from: Let’s Do Lunch: Quick and easy recipes to brighten up your week by Georgia Levy (Pavilion, HarperCollins Publishers). Image by Sam A Harris.
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