This cherry salad with mixed leaves is festive and flavourful, just perfect for indulgent summer entertaining or for your summer Christmas table.
Luscious cherries are at their absolute best during the summer months and are the stars in this simple leaf salad.
While cherries are famous for their anti-inflammatory benefits they are also a great source of natural melatonin a hormone that helps you sleep.
It is the anthocyanins in cherries that give them their vivid red colour, a powerful phytonutrient that boosts your immune system.
The ingredients in this mixed leaf & cherry salad…
- A plethora of gorgeous cherries that are sweet and bursting with the taste of summer.
- Honeyed macadamias add a delightful honey crunch.
- Brie adds a beautifully buttery, creamy flavour and velvety soft texture.
- The mixed leaves are a great crisp base full of bright green colours.
- While the simple red wine vinegar and olive oil vinaigrette allow the cherries to shine.
How to make your mixed leaf & cherry salad…
1For the honeyed macadamias…
Preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F). Line an oven tray with baking paper.
Place the macadamias, honey, butter and salt in your tray and spread out evenly so that they are not touching. Place in the middle section of your oven.
After five minutes, check on the nuts and stir, so that they can brown on all sides.
Roast for another 5 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. You may need to put them in your fridge or freezer to harden so that they can break it into the salad, we don’t want them to be soft.
PLACE MACADAMIAS HONEY, BUTTER & SALT IN TRAY
STIR MACADAMIA MIX AFTER 5 MINS
ROAST UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN
2To make the salad…
Wash your salad leaves under cold running water, remove any damaged or wilted leaves, then either pat or spin dry in a salad spinner.
Wash your all your cherries, remove the stems and pits using a cherry pitter if you have one, then cut them in half.
Cut your Brie into small squares or thin wedges, place in the fridge until you are ready to use.
WASH SALAD LEAVES
DRY YOUR SALAD LEAVES
WASH & PIT CHERRIES
CUT CHERRIES IN HALF
3Putting your mixed leaf & cherry salad together…
In a large mixing bowl, place your salad leaves and cherries, crumble and break the honeyed macadamias, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper add the red wine vinegar and olive oil.
Toss your salad until well combined and the cherries and macadamias are evenly distributed throughout the salad.
Taste your salad and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
Place in a salad bowl and arrange the brie on top, serve immediately.
PLACE CHERRY SALAD INGREDIENTS IN A BOWL
MIX CHERRY SALAD UNTIL COMBINED
ARRANGE IN A SALAD BOWL
Serving suggestions for mixed leaf & cherry salad…
This light yet lovely salad is perfect with ham, turkey, pork, chicken or quail or could even make a flavourful light lunch with the addition of some flaked salmon or shredded chicken.
Try it with…
Try some more festive salads…
Equipment
- Salad Spinner
- Cherry / Olive Pitter
Ingredients
For the salad…
- 200 grams mixed leaves
- 500 grams cherries
- ½ small Brie
- ¼ cup olive oil (extra virgin)
- 3 tbsps red wine vinegar
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
For the honeyed macadamias…
- ½ cup macadamias (slightly crushed)
- 1 tbsps honey
- 1 tbsps butter
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Instructions
For the honeyed macadamias…
- Preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F). Line an oven tray with baking paper.
- Place the macadamias, honey, butter and salt on your tray and spread out evenly so that they are not touching. Place in the middle section of your oven.
- After five minutes, check on the nuts and stir, so that they can brown on all sides. Roast for a further 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
To make the salad…
- Wash and dry your salad leaves. Rinse, dry, pit and cut your cherries in half.
- Cut your Brie into small squares or thin wedges, place in the fridge until you are ready to use.
- Place all your ingredients (apart from the Brie) in a large mixing bowl, season and toss until well combined.
- Place in a salad bowl and arrange the brie on top, serve immediately.
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