Griddled pears with thyme & feta salad
This beautiful starter conjures up a sleepy, late-autumn feeling.
Photographs: John Laurie | Food preparation: Rosie Reynolds | Prop styling: Wei Tang. Taken from the November 2016 issue of House & Garden.
Sybil Kapoor's 'Dark nights' menu | Apple and pear recipes
Top Tips
Make the thyme oil at least a day in advance of serving it.
More pear recipes here
Ingredients
Serves 6
Ingredients
Method
Step 1
Wash the thyme and strip the leaves from 1 1/2 bunches, discarding the stems. Drop the leaves into a small pan of boiling water. Cook it for 4 minutes, drain in a sieve and place the sieve into a bowl of iced water. Once the thyme is cold, drain it and squeeze dry. Place in a small container with the sunflower oil and finely chop with a hand blender. Cover and chill for at least 24 hours and then push through a fine sieve to create a green thyme oil. Season to taste.
Step 2
Place the chicory, red onion and feta in a mixing bowl. Strip the sprigs from the stems of the remaining thyme and reserve.
Step 3
Peel the pears, quarter and core. Place in a small bowl and toss in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Once it is hot, remove the pears from the lemon juice and cook on each side for 2 minutes until lightly coloured grill marks appear.
Step 4
Meanwhile, add 2tbsp of the reserved lemon juice and 2tbsp thyme oil to the salad leaves. Season to taste, lightly toss and divide in airy piles between 6 plates. Tuck 4 warm pear quarters into each salad, drizzle with some more thyme oil and scatter with a few thyme sprigs. Serve immediately.
