Ingredients
This Picota cherry salad is fresh, bright, and full of contrast. Sweet cherries, crisp chicory endives, creamy goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, basil, and crunchy baguette slices come together with a simple sherry vinegar dressing. It is an elegant seasonal dish that works well as a starter, light lunch, or side salad.
- 200g Picota cherries
- 2 chicory endives
- 2 slices of goat cheese roll
- 1 bunch of fresh basil
- 50g pine nuts
- 1/4 baguette
- 1 garlic clove
- 4 tbsp Sherry vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- Pinch of salt
- 10 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
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Wash the Picota cherries thoroughly, then remove the stones. Do this over a bowl rather than directly on a chopping board, as the cherries will release some juice while you pit them. Keep this juice in the bowl, because it will become the base of the dressing and will add natural sweetness, colour, and depth to the salad. Set the prepared cherries aside while you make the vinaigrette.
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Peel the garlic clove and grate it finely into the bowl containing the Picota cherry juices. Add the pinch of salt, the honey, and the Sherry vinegar. Whisk the mixture well until the honey has dissolved and the garlic is evenly distributed. While continuing to whisk, slowly pour in the extra virgin olive oil in a thin, steady stream. Adding the oil gradually helps the dressing emulsify, creating a smooth, glossy vinaigrette rather than a separated mixture. Taste the dressing and adjust only if needed, keeping the balance between sweet cherries, sharp vinegar, and rich olive oil.
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Prepare the baguette slices for texture and crunch. Slice the baguette thinly on the diagonal to create longer, elegant pieces that are easy to serve with the salad. Place the slices on a baking tray and drizzle them lightly with a little extra virgin olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until the bread is golden, crisp, and lightly toasted. Keep an eye on the baguette as it bakes, because thin slices can turn from golden to overdone quickly.
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Separate the leaves of the chicory endives and place them in a large mixing bowl. The crisp, slightly bitter leaves are an excellent contrast to the sweetness of the Picota cherries and the creaminess of the goat cheese. Pick the fresh basil leaves from the stems and add them to the bowl. Add the pine nuts and the prepared Picota cherries. Pour over most of the dressing, saving a little to finish the dish at the end. Toss the salad gently with clean hands or salad servers, making sure the leaves are coated without bruising the basil or breaking the cherries too much.
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Arrange the dressed chicory, basil, pine nuts, and Picota cherries on a serving plate. Try to build a little height on the plate so the salad looks fresh and inviting. Spoon over any cherry pieces and pine nuts left at the bottom of the mixing bowl, as they carry plenty of flavour from the dressing.
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Place a frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the slices of goat cheese roll and cook them for about 1 minute, or until golden on one side only. The goal is to create a lightly caramelised surface while keeping the cheese soft and creamy inside. Handle the goat cheese carefully, as it can soften quickly once heated.
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Place the warm goat cheese slices on top of the Picota cherry salad, golden side facing up. Add the toasted baguette slices around the salad or tuck them into the leaves for extra crunch. Drizzle over the remaining dressing just before serving. Serve immediately while the goat cheese is still warm and the baguette is crisp.
This Picota cherry, chicory, and goat cheese salad is all about balance: sweet fruit, tangy Sherry vinegar, aromatic basil, crunchy pine nuts, crisp endive, and creamy cheese. For the best result, dress the salad shortly before serving and add the warm goat cheese at the last moment. This keeps the leaves fresh, the bread crisp, and the flavours clean and vibrant.