Stilton Cheese Pear And Toasted Walnut Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Cucumber Dill Topping Recipes

STILTON, PEAR AND WALNUT TEA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Toast the walnuts, then finely chop.
• Remove the core from the pear and slice thinly. Set aside.
• In a bowl, combine the crumbled cheese and nuts.
• Add the butter, tarragon, shallot, optional salt and pepper to this mixture and mix well.
• Spread the seasoned butter onto 8 slices of bread.
• Lay thinly sliced pears on four of the bread slices.
• Cover with the remaining four slices of bread.
• Wrap each sandwich securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and mixture is set.
• Unwrap the sandwiches and trim the crusts.
• Cut each sandwich into 4 triangles or squares.
• Note: To add a little color to the sandwiches, you might like to sprinkle a bit of the herbs on top of each square or trangle.

STILTON CHEESE, PEAR AND TOASTED WALNUT CUPCAKES WITH CREAM CHEESE CUCUMBER DILL TOPPING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners.
• Put the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Strain the pears and puree in a food processor. Put the oil in an electric mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Add the pears, cheese and walnuts to the flour mixture and coat well. Gently fold in the egg and oil mixture by hand. Fill each muffin cup three-quarters full with batter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.
• To assemble: Put the Cream Cheese Cucumber Dill Topping into a pastry bag and top each cupcake. Garnish with cucumber twists and dill.
• Puree the cucumber in a food processor. Beat the cream cheese in a mixer with the paddle attachment until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the cucumber, dill and salt. Put the topping in an airtight container and refrigerate 12 hours or up to overnight before serving.

STILTON AND PEAR SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, the mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk the dressing until it is emulsified. In a bowl toss the lettuce with half the dressing and divide the salad among 4 plates. Halve and core the pear and cut it lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange one fourth of the pear slices decoratively on each plate, divide the Stilton and the pecans among the salads, and drizzle the remaining dressing on top.

CUCUMBER AND WALNUT SOUP

Steps:

• Cut cucumbers into small dice and set aside in a large bowl. Using a mortar crush the garlic, walnuts, coriander and salt together and add the oil and continue to mix thoroughly.
• Transfer to the bowl with the cucumber and whisk in remaining ingredients. Garnish with a drizzle of walnut oil. Serve chilled.

WARM STILTON SALAD

Steps:

• Use kitchen scissors or a sharp knife to snip the bacon crossways into fat matchsticks. Heat a small, dry frying pan on a medium heat and add the bacon. Cook for about 10 mins, until the fat has run and the bacon is crisp.
• To make the dressing, reduce the heat in the pan to low and stir in 1 tbsp water, then the vinegar, honey and mustard. Stir well, scraping up any residue on the base of the pan. Stir in the oil, taste and season.
• Meanwhile, heat a ridged griddle pan or grill and cook the pears for about 5 mins on each side, until browned. Place in a bowl and mix with the cubes of cheese (this melts the cheese a little, making it nice and squidgy). Tip the spinach into a serving bowl, and scatter the cheese and pear mixture over. Top with the warm bacon dressing and serve immediately.