Chicory, blue cheese & candied walnut boats

Name: Chicory, blue cheese & candied walnut boats
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 25
Ingredients: 100 g walnut pieces; 2 tbsp clear honey, plus a drizzle; 125 g vegetarian blue cheese (we used No.1 Colston Bassett), broken into small pieces; 100 ml single cream; 140 g red chicory, leaves separated

Tangy cheese and crunchy honey-coated walnuts make an excellent pairing, especially when sitting on pretty-yet-robust chicory leaves. You can prepare the walnuts in advance; store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Alex Szrok, chef at the Waitrose Cookery School, prepared this recipe for a canapés and cocktails live class in December 2023. The party menu also included Haddock Scotch quail eggs, Roast beef, horseradish and Yorkshire skewers, Potato rostis, crème fraîche & dill, Mini mortadella, pistachio & ricotta sandwiches, Mince pie Eton mess and two cocktails, Rosy Cheeks and The Polar Espresso. Find out about more classes here.

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Vegetarian

Makes25
CourseCanape
Prepare10 mins
Cook5 mins
Total time15 mins
Pluscooling

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Ingredients

100g walnut pieces
2 tbsp clear honey, plus a drizzle
125g vegetarian blue cheese (we used No.1 Colston Bassett), broken into small pieces
100ml single cream
140g red chicory, leaves separated

Method

Toast the walnut pieces in a dry frying pan over a medium heat, stirring frequently until they smell toasty and are starting to take on some colour (2-3 minutes). Turn off the heat and quickly drizzle in the honey, stirring continuously until it is clinging to the walnuts. Tip out onto a plate, sprinkle with sea salt, leave to cool, then roughly chop.
Put the blue cheese and single cream in a small food processor and whizz until smooth. Arrange the chicory leaves on a serving platter, then pipe or spoon some whipped blue cheese into each and top with the honey walnuts. Drizzle with extra honey and grind over a little black pepper to serve.