Watercress and Rogue River blue cheese salad

Rogue River, which is made in Oregon in the United States was the first blue-veined raw cow’s milk cheese to be certified for export, a decade ago. Wrapped in vine leaves, it has a distinctive, but not overpowering, flavour and a delightful creamy texture. It is divine, especially when eaten with pears and walnuts. Another lightly marbled blue cheese, such as Bleu de Bresse, can be used in place of Rogue River, but the salad won’t have quite the same character.

SERVES 4

12 walnut halves

100ml cold milk

1 ripe pomegranate (optional)

1 ripe, juicy pear

Juice of ½ lemon

About 250g watercress, stems removed, washed and patted dry

160g Rogue River blue cheese, cut into small pieces

For the dressing

8 tsp grapeseed oil

4 tsp white wine vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Drop the walnut halves, a few at a time, into a small pan of simmering water for 2 minutes, then remove and gently peel them, using the tip of the knife. Immerse in the cold milk to soak.

Halve the pomegranate, if using, and remove the red seeds, avoiding the bitter membrane. Set aside in a bowl.

Peel, halve and core the pear, then cut into cubes. Place in a bowl and spritz with the lemon juice to stop the flesh discolouring.

For the dressing, put the oil and wine vinegar into a salad bowl with a pinch each of salt and pepper and whisk to combine.

Drain the walnuts and pat dry. Add the watercress to the vinaigrette and mix gently, then add the walnuts, pomegranate seeds, if using, and the cubes of pear. Mix the salad lightly, then scatter over the cheese to serve.