Blue on Blue! Blue Blossom Salad: Blue Cheese, Borage & Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
Blue on Blue!
Blue Blossom Salad:
Blue Cheese, Borage & Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
Blue on Blue! Blue Blossom Salad: Blue Cheese, Borage & Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
Salads feature a lot on my weekly menu, both in winter and summer, but never more so than over the last two weeks since the heat wave hit the UK and most of Europe; instead of moaning in the rain, we have all been singing on the sun and a cool salad makes a welcome appearance on our patio table every day. Whereas I am quite happy to munch away on assorted lettuce leaves with a tomato or two and a good salad dressing, I also like to experiment with colour, texture and taste when I come to assemble my salads – and this salad, which I have called a Blue Blossom Salad, was a huge success. The star of the salad show in this case, apart from the delectable creamy blue cheese dressing and cold cooked chicken, are the delicate star-like borage flowers which grow all over my garden; they were originally planted for bees and butterflies, but, they are also an essential ingredient for salads, omelettes and that ubiquitous of summer drinks, Pimms.
Borage and Bee
I also planted some white borage this year, just for a change, although I can’t share a photo of it today as it’s not bloomed yet. But here’s a sneak preview of what it will look like, from a seed site:
White Borage (Kingseeds.co.nz)
When planning this latest salad recipe, I also thought it would be rather nice to bring my Churchill china into the frame; as regular readers will know, I am the Churchill China Blogger, and I was sent a rather lovely Penzance dinner set to show and share on my blog earlier this year. This, my next scheduled post for Lunch on the Patio (Summer salads and BBQ) really showcases how versatile the china is for casual, summery meals, and I think that the clever use of the Coupe bowls show how great they are to use for individual salads. Although I like to prepare large salads for self-serving, on this rather hot day I thought a nice individual salad would be easier and would not wilt as much in the heat; so I served this beautiful blue on blue salad at the table under the apple tree for some welcome shade……..
Blue on Blue! Blue Blossom Salad: Blue Cheese, Borage & Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
……with some wine and crusty bread too of course!
Wine and Crusty Bread
Borage flowers have a subtle cucumber flavour, which makes them so useful to add to salads as well as Pimms of course. It is also called “Starflower”, which is easy to see why, and has been used as a domestic herbal remedy since ancient times. As well as being a beautiful flower, it has some amazing health benefits, some of which are very surprising. It can be used to fight depression and melancholy, as well as inducing euphoria! In addition to this, it is known for its beneficial effect on the heart, kidneys and digestive system and has been used as a cure for jaundice in the past. As if this wasn’t enough, it is also a great plan to have a borage plant next to your strawberry plants, as they stimulate their growth!
Blue on Blue! Blue Blossom Salad: Blue Cheese, Borage & Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
The edible parts of the borage plant are the flowers, as well as the leaves, which can be dried and made into a tisane that wards off fever. You can also eat the seeds which are a rich source of gamma-linolenic acid, which is known to help to reduce blood pressure and regulate hormonal conditions. It’s certainly a great plant to have in the garden for all of the health benefits I have mentioned above, as well as its stunning blue looks.
Blue on Blue! Blue Blossom Salad: Blue Cheese, Borage & Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
The recipe for my Blue Blossom Salad is shared below, and I don’t know what you think, but I think the salad looks as pretty as a picture on my Churchill Penzance coupe bowl. That’s all for this rather hot Sunday, have a wonderful lazy time, if you can, and I’ll see you soon with more new recipes, some reviews and another new giveaway. Karen
Churchill China – Penzance
Blue Blossom Salad: Blue Cheese, Borage & Grilled Chicken Salad
Print recipe
| Serves | 2 to 3 |
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Allergy | Egg, Milk |
| Meal type | Lunch, Salad, Side Dish, Snack, Starter |
| Misc | Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold |
| Occasion | Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
Salad
- 100g mixed salad leaves of your choice
- 1 large grilled or cooked chicken breast cut into cubes or small pieces (about 125g to 150g)
- 6 to 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 50g blue cheese of your choice (cubed or crumbled)
- 10 to 12 blue borage flowers
Dressing
- 50g blue cheese of your choice (crumbled)
- 50mls low fat mayonnaise
- 100mls low fat crème fraiche
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or cider apple vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Note
A summery burst of blue on a plate, this salad takes full advantage of cooked chicken which marries so well with blue cheese and dressing; the blue borage flowers add a subtle cucumber taste to the salad and makes it pretty as a picture!
Directions
| Step 1 | Dressing: Put the crumbled blue cheese into a jar or bowl and add the remaining ingredients, shake or mix well and adjust seasoning to taste. Thin with a little milk if the dressing is too thick. |
| Step 2 | Salad: Arrange the salad leaves in a serving bowl and then add the cherry tomatoes before adding the cooked chicken pieces and crumbled or cubed blue cheese. |
| Step 3 | Pour or spoon the blue cheese dressing over the salad and then scatter the borage flowers over the top. |
| Step 4 | Serve immediately with spare dressing on the side and crusty bread. |
Blue on Blue! Blue Blossom Salad: Blue Cheese, Borage & Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
Disclaimer: I received a Churchill china Penzance dinnerware service for free, in order to share and showcase the china with my readers as part of my sponsored collaboration with Churchill China. I was not asked to write a positive review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Karen S Burns-Booth
That is the prettiest salad! I often use nasturtiums or wild garlic flowers in salads, but don’t think I’ve ever eaten a blue flower?! On my lost of things to do 🙂
Janie x
PS love the bowls, so pretty.
Thank ye kindly Janie! This was a simple assembly job really, but the borage flowers added the finishing touch! Nasturtiums are next on my list…….Karen
My Borage is blooming and this looks delightful! Thanks for sharing this! I love your China! Maybe someday I’ll have some of my own!
Thanks Terri, you must try your borage flowers on a salad, they taste great and look amazing!
What a beautiful salad Karen! I’ve never eaten borage flowers but they add such a gorgeously vibrant hue to the salad. I adore a good strong blue cheese. Wish I had access to some borage… hm, I might just have to attempt the salad without. I am pretty sure that particular flower doesn’t grow here in Western Australia.
Thanks Laura, anything that is blue and cheese has my name on it!! And these borage flowers just add the finishing touch. I am sure you can get borage seeds on Australia, maybe worth a look at a seed company online? Karen
Google+’d this looks lovely!
Thanks Tracy!
so beautiful the blossoms match the china and it all looks so delicious summery and pretty 🙂
Thanks Lisa, I think the whole salad and plate combo looks so pretty!
I didn’t know what borage was. Beautiful salad. Tweeted as @maisietoo.
Thanks Maya!
I love anything with blue cheese! This looks fabulous!
Thanks so much!
Fabulous looking dish, the borage flowers just finish it off! Red wine and crusty bread? Never!
I know, that wine and bread they always creep in Janice! 🙂
Beautiful salad! And I bet it tastes amazing too
Thanks Aimee, it was a VERY tasty salad! Karen
tweeted to share
Thanks Lisa!
Wow that sure is a pretty salad – and looks delicious too!
Tweeted again, @maisietoo
Shared this wonderful recipe on Twitter, @maisietoo
Every salad can be made better with the addition of blue cheese! The flowers just make it so beautiful (not to mention the added health benefits of course). Love love love the crockery too – sets off the salad beautifully.
Looks like a great recipe. A salad that you might want to eat on a nice sunny cool day.
How pretty! I will have to try this – maybe next Spring/Summer though – I have printed it off to remind me! Shared too via G+
That salad looks delicious I cannot wait to tryout your recipe. Thank you
You just got a new Twitter follower! Thanks, I love it!