In Aveyron, Nicole Fagegaltier combines Roquefort with quince
Recipe for 4 people
2 wild quinces (this also works with apples or pears)
– For cooking the quinces:
25g butter
1 tablespoon of honey
10 cl of water
1 dash of lemon juice or ginger vinegar
For the caramelized hazelnuts:
30 g of sugar
30 g hazelnut
A little fleur de sel
– For the Roquefort whipped cream:
80 g of Roquefort
100 g of cream
1 tablespoon of mascarpone
For the finish:
Some fine salads like mizuna, arugula, claytone or lamb’s lettuce…
20 g crumbled Roquefort
Hazelnut oil
Peel the quinces, cut them in half, remove the core and seeds. In a pan, melt the butter, add the honey, let it caramelize, pour in the vinegar or lemon juice, add the quinces, coat them well, add the water. Cook gently covered for around 20 minutes (monitor the cooking, possibly add a little water if necessary). The fruit should be both firm and tender. Leave to cool.
- Roquefort whipped cream
Crush the Roquefort well, mix it with the mascarpone. Whip the cream and before it is completely firm, add the roquefort-mascarpone mixture. Continue to whisk until you obtain a very homogeneous cream. Reserve in a cool place.
In a saucepan, spread the sugar, bring it towards the caramel, add the hazelnuts and fleur de sel. Pour it onto lightly oiled parchment paper (or an oiled plate). Leave to cool, then roughly chop.
On four plates, distribute the salads, place half a quince on top, a nice quenelle of whipped Roquefort cream, sprinkle with caramelized hazelnuts and crumbled Roquefort, and finally, cover everything with a drizzle of hazelnut oil.
