Brussels Sprout Salad with Bacon, Cranberries and Stilton Truffles

Categories : appetizers & savoury snacks, easy peasy, potatoes & vegetables, Recipes, soups & salads

A Christmassy salad with Brussels sprouts, bacon, cranberries, apple, walnuts, stilton truffles and a raspberry jam dressing. There, nearly all the ingredients in the first sentence.

What a salad. So many different flavours coming together to create an interesting mix that really gives your taste buds a workout. My taste testers agreed with my description of this dish. The first forkful might leave you wondering if you actually like it. However you will want to try a second, just to check. A third will follow, and after you’ve eaten half the salad you will come to the conclusion that well, you must like it since you’re well on your way to finishing it!

This was the first time I’ve ever tried raw Brussels sprouts. They aren’t like cooked ones at all. For me they taste a little like cabbage. Finely slice them (or use a mandolin) vertically to the stem, then fluff them up with your fingers to separate them. Wash them after chopping, in a colander, and let the water drain till they are almost dry. The cheese I chose is Stilton, but you can use any blue cheese you like. I decided to go for pretty versus practical, and made little truffles covered in sesame. Just shape the cheese into little balls and roll them in the seeds. This way anyone who hates blue cheese can just pick them out. If you all love it, and you want the faff-less option, crumble it over the top of the salad. But hey, it’s the holidays. A little faffing won’t hurt.

Ingredients

100 gr Stilton cheese

3 Tbs sesame seeds

400 gr Brussels sprouts, fresh, finely sliced

1 apple, peeled and cubed

120 gr bacon, chopped and fried till crispy

100 gr dried cranberries

70 gr walnuts, roughly chopped

For the dressing

3 Tbs olive oil

1 ½ Tbs raspberry jam

1 ½ Tbs lemon juice, fresh

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp white pepper

Step 1

Shape the Stilton into little balls and roll in the sesame seeds till coated. Place the truffles in the fridge so they set. You can do this step a day ahead.

Step 2

In a large bowl combine the Brussels sprouts, apple, bacon, cranberries and walnuts. Toss well and add the Stilton truffles.

Step 3

Combine the olive oil, raspberry jam, lemon juice and salt and pepper in a clean jam jar. Shake well and pour over the salad.

The dressing is enough for a fairly “dry” salad. If you like lots of dressing double the amount and add it gradually to your own taste.