Baked Roquefort Green Salad

A healthy festive warmed baked roquefort green salad, a perfect recipe for advance holiday party preparation and an ideal starter/appetizer or light lunch. For vegetarians, replace Roquefort with Dolcelatte or Stilton cheese.

Love a colourful, light and healthy salad, served slightly warm with melted cheese? Try this Baked Roquefort Green Salad, piled on an artichoke base with melted cheese, toasted walnuts and shiny caramelised red onions in white wine. It's so delicious, full of different contrasting flavours and textures too with added avocado and pear or apple.

When A Cold Salad Just Doesn't Hack It: Add Warm Melted Cheese!

As the weather cools down and the Autumnal products are so plentiful at our local market, I wanted to cook up a salad.  I say cook, as my husband refuses to eat a plate of cold food! Apparently it's because he has no spleen and it's a characteristic - but I digress.

So, what better to mix warm, melted French cheese on salad leaves, avocado and pear (roquefort and pear are classics together!) and add some festive colours to this baked roquefort green salad. It's also easy enough to prepare in advance for entertaining - and great at any time of year!

Now on to the bright colours, which makes this salad extra special with the melted cheese: caramelised red onions in white wine.

Caramelised Red Onions in White Wine

The result of experimenting with red onions in wine: they make the shiniest, caramelised red onions!  They look like beetroot shavings at first glance but the taste is so different.  The flavour is absolutely delicious with this green salad - a perfect colourful starter to add some healthy colour to the start of any festive meal.

More Dishes Made with Wine

• Beetroot horseradish risotto with matching savoury macarons;
• Chorizo risotto with prawns or scallops;
• THE French Classic Blanquette de Veau casserole;
• Lotte à l'Amoricaine Monkfish stew
• Corsican Veal and Pepper Stew;

I'm Vegetarian. Can I use Roquefort?

Alas, Roquefort is not vegetarian, as it contains animal rennet.  For a Vegetarian version of this salad, make the same recipe using Dolcelatte or Stilton cheese - just check that they don't contain rennet.

Baked Roquefort Green Salad

Jill Colonna

A sophisticated green salad with pear and avocado served on a warmed artichoke base and melted roquefort cheese with caramelised red onions. For vegetarians, replace Roquefort with Stilton or Dolcelatte.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Light Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine French

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  

• 6 Artichoke bases
• 1 Avocado ripe (thinly sliced)
• 1 Ripe pear or Granny Smith apple (thinly sliced)
• 85 g (3oz) Roquefort Cheese thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon Walnuts
• 100 g (3.5oz) Roquette (Arugula leaves) or lamb's lettuce
• 1 tablespoon fresh pesto (optional)
• 1 Organic lemon juiced
• 2 tablespoon Olive oil or Walnut Oil

Caramelised Red Onions

• 100 g (3.5oz) Red onions thinly sliced
• 100 ml (3.5fl oz) White wine
• 2 tablespoon Sugar (optional, for being extra glossy)

Instructions

 

• First, make the caramelised onions: in a heavy based pan, gently simmer the sliced onions, wine and sugar, if using. After 25 minutes, the wine will have evaporated and the onions will be sticky and glossy. Keep warm and set aside until ready to plate.

  (This stage can be done a day in advance)
• Meanwhile, cook the artichoke bases for 12-15 minutes (either fresh or frozen).  Drain and set aside to cool slightly.
• Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6.
• Place each artichoke base on a baking dish or tray and top with a slice each of roquefort cheese, avocado and pear (or apple), then a final layer of roquefort. Top with a walnut and bake in the oven until the cheese melts - no more than 10 minutes.
• Prepare each serving plate with rocket/arugula leaves, dribble with olive/walnut oil, top with toasted walnuts and spots of pesto (if using) and the pear/apple or avocado, cut into small chunks.
• Top with the artichoke and baked roquefort and serve immediately.

Notes

Serve with fruity chilled white, such as a Côte de Rhone, Marsanne, Voignier or Minervois.

This recipe can easily be made vegan by replacing the cheese with a vegan 'cheese' alternative from health food stores.

Keyword avocado salad, green salad melted cheese, roquefort recipes