Warm Goats Cheese & Beetroot Salad with Pickled Blackberries

Serves 4 as a starter or light meal

 

 

For the pickled blackberries:

 

250g blackberries

 

150ml red wine vinegar (or enough to cover the berries)

 

3 tablespoons sugar

 

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

2 bay leaves

 

1 sprig rosemary

 

10 peppercorns

 

For the warm goat’s cheese: 4 slices of soft goats’ cheese from a log (about 50g each) 1 egg, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt 50g panko breadcrumbs olive oil, to fry

 

For the rest:

 

300g beetroot (you can use pre-cooked beetroot for this) 10g mint leaves, picked off the stems 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for the beets

 

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

 

1 teaspoon honey, plus extra to drizzle Salt and pepper 30g toasted pumpkin seeds

 

 

 

Wash and gently pat dry the blackberries. Put in a clean 400ml jar.

 

Put the red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, herbs and peppercorns in a small pan on a medium heat, bring to a simmer stirring continuously until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Leave to cool then pour over the blackberries until the liquid is just covering them. Allow to cool and then store in the fridge.

 

Pre-heat the oven to 140°C. Clean the beetroot and cover in a little olive oil and sea salt. Roast in the oven in a tray, covered tightly in foil for about 2 hours or until soft through. Keep the foil on. Once cool enough to handle remove the skin of the beets and slice into thin wedges. Alternatively, use pre-cooked beetroot.

 

To make the dressing combine 10 pickled blackberries with 2 tablespoons of the pickling liquor, olive oil, mustard, honey and a generous pinch of salt in a mini food processor and whizz until emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

 

Dip the slices of goat’s cheese in the lightly beaten egg and then into the panko breadcrumbs coating them on both sides. Set on a plate. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add tablespoon olive oil and then fry the goats’ cheese medallions until golden, this should take a couple of minutes on each side.

 

Combine the salad leave, mint and beetroot in a serving dish or on individual plates. Drizzle over the blackberry dressing and toss to combine. Sprinkle over some pickled blackberries and pumpkin seeds then add the warm goats’ cheese on top. Serve immediately while the goats’ cheese is still warm