Figs, Beetroots and Dolcelatte Starter.

This little Salad is an Autumnal Starter. It does capture the season almost in a nutshell. Figs are mainly fruits of the Autumn. Walnuts are also seasonal at that time. The Beetroots give an earthy character to the dish and being pickled another dimension. Then there is the sweet tanginess of the Blue Cheese to add that extra creamy texture. This Salad being simple yet tasty makes a a very good Starter to a three or four courses Dinner or a very good Lunch.

Putting it all Together

Timing

Preptime: 10 minutes to 2 weeks
Cooktime: 1 hour
Servings: 2 to 4

Ingredients

Figs, 2 per person cut in halves.

Beetroots 1 per person sliced and pickled, alternatively use a jar of pickled sliced Beetroot of 400 g or more.

Walnut halves, a handful for every plate.

Dolcelatte, 1 to be divided in 2 plates or 2 for 4. The Blue Cheese needs to be placed in little morcels upon the plates as much as decoration as for flavour.

A bunch of Flat Leaves Parsley, chopped.

A drizzle of Walnut Oil.

Seasoning: Sea Salt and Black Pepper.

Optional: A drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar, a drizzle of Honey.

Steps

This Salad is better to be presented and prepared in individual plates rather than in a bowl for everyone to help themselves. It is a matter of decoration as well as presentation. Although this dish is simple in general and rather rustic.

The only complication is the choice to make regarding the Beetroot element of it. It is simply a matter of either pickling them yourself or going for the simpler way of buying a jar of pickled Beetroot in a shop. To be honest, I prefer the later to reduce the time it take to prepare this dish. But if you pickle the Beetroots, it has to be well in advance because then they would be ready for consumption with the right taste after two weeks. It does also require more prep.

The advantage of preparing the pickling Beetroots is that you can prepare multiple jars to place in your pantry or cupboard. You will find multiple recipes on the internet but my favorite one is the one of Jane Hornby on the BBC Good Food website. In terms of Vinegar however than the White Wine Vinegar you can take the liberty of trying and tasting other ones for the Pickled Beetroots.

That said I would advise for the cut of the Beetroots to slice them in neat circle rather than quarter them. It is simply for the sake of presentation especially if you serve them at a dinner party.

Then comes another ingredient which take much less time but could be seen as the star of the show: the Figs. First the hard stalks must be cut. Next, it is nice to half all of them. Aiming at two Figs for person render the plate full but lavish. It is ment to be an indulgence after all. Then comes the matter of to cook or not to cook. To be fair Figs are delicious raw however on a rainy or cold day it is nice to roast them a little (15 minutes) to render them even softer to the palate. And then to apply a drizzle of Honey upon them never hurts.

There is a wide choice of variety of Figs out there but I always pick the ones readily available to me for ease and simplicity. My favourite one is the 'Rouge de Bordeaux' by choice for its taste and lovely purple colour which is attractive upon a plate. Having a childhood in France I mainly know purple Figs therefore it tends to be my go to.

To not be forgotten is the addition of Blue Cheese upon the plate. The choice is varied as well. If my choice is Dolcelatte it is because of its mild tanginess. It is just not too strong to overpower the other ingredients of the Salad. But I would say that the choice is all yours, because a Roquefort is perfect for this Salad and add a bit of dash and flash. A Gorgonzola will be a little bit strong but very nice. A Saint Agur from Auvergne becomes stronger and spicier with age but is a very nice choice then the Stilton is easy to make crumbly nice pieces full of flavour upon a plate.

The next ingredient is Walnuts but also Walnut Oil. It adds to the Autumnal theme of the dish. The other addition which must not be forgotten is the texture and crunshiness that the Walnuts do provide. To accentuate their flavour a drizzle of Walnut Oil is ever more welcomed. But if not found in shops, settle for a nice Olive Oil.

Now a drizzle of Vinegar could be helpul if the Beetroots are not pickled enough to give that awsome lift to the Salad. My choice there is for a Red Wine Vinegar or a Balsamic one.

To finish the Salad is chopped Parsley either flat or curly. To be honest it add a bit of decoration, a bit of green to contrast with all the purple so colour. It also add for a fact that it helps for the iron intake that the blood may need like mine. Then its flavour is a plus.

At the end you have a colourful but simple Salad to enjoy which can represent the flavours that Autumn can provide to you on a plate.

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