Provençal Stuffed Apricot & Goat’s Cheese Salad with Edible Flowers

Serves	4 - 6
Prep time	10 minutes
Allergy	Milk
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Appetizer, Lunch, Salad, Snack, Starter
Misc	Gourmet, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Occasion	Birthday Party, Casual Party, Formal Party
Region	French
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

This pretty salad recipe is based on a dish I enjoyed in Provence, where fresh apricots were stuffed with cream cheese, almonds, sultanas, blanched nettles, herbs and the local goat's cheese, Picodon. The apricots were then decorated with edible flowers and served as part of a "meze" style lunch.

Ingredients

Stuffed Apricots

Dried apricots
125g herb and garlic cream cheese
2 x small fresh Picodon cheese (or similar small fresh goats cheese weighing 70g)
2 tablespoons fresh chives, parsley and savory (finely chopped)
25g dried sour cherries (plus extra for garnish)
25g toasted flaked almonds (plus extra for garnish)
selection of edible flowers (I used nasturtiums, mallow, violas and borage)

Salad

1 head of Batavia lettuce
Frisee lettuce leaves

Dressing

1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Note

This pretty salad recipe is based on a dish I enjoyed in Provence, where fresh apricots were stuffed with cream cheese, almonds, sultanas, blanched nettles, herbs and the local goat's cheese, Picodon.follow The apricots were then decorated with edible flowers and served as part of a "meze" style lunch.

Directions

Step 1	Arrange the lettuce leaves in a large serving platter or 6 individual plates.
Step 2	Mix the cream cheese with 1 of the Picodon cheeses, the herbs, dried sour cherries and flaked toasted almonds, mix well, and season to taste with sea salt and pepper if desired.
Step 3	Fill the apricot halves with the cream cheese filing and sit them on top of the salad, with the remaining Picodon cheese in the middle. (or divided into 6 for individual plates) Decorate the stuffed apricot halves and salad with the edible flowers.
Step 4	Make the dressing by blending all the ingredients together, then drizzle it over the stuffed apricots and salad.
Step 5	Scatter some dried sour cherries and toasted almond flakes over the top and serve with chilled white wine and crusty bread.
Step 6	Serves 4 to 6 people as a starter or a light luncheon dish.