Rocket, Pear & Parmesan Salad with Caramelised Balsamic

Two weeks ago, my hubby and I went away on a 2 day trip to the Southern Highlands (Bowral, Berrima and surrounding small towns) which is around 1.5-2 hours south of Sydney. There is a winery near our resort and on our first night we decided to go there for dinner. It was called Centennial Vineyards and the food they served at their restaurant was delicious. One of the entrees we ordered was the "Wild Roquet, Pear & Aged Parmesan Salad with Reduced Balsamic". This was one good salad. I love the sweetness of the pear combined with the pepperiness of the rocket leaves. It's so refreshing to eat on a balmy summer's night and very quick to prepare. This salad dish goes well with everything - chicken, beef or fish - or to have on its own.

This is my version of the salad. Hubs thought it was just as good as the salad we ate at Centennial Vineyards :) I hope you'll like it too.

Rocket, Pear & Parmesan Salad with Carmelised Balsamic
Serves 2

2 big handfuls of rocket leaves
half a pear
1 handful of goats cheese (or fetta or parmesan - whichever you prefer)
juice of 1/2 lemon
caramelised balsamic vinegar
pepper

- Remove the pear skin with a peeler
- Cut the pear in half and deseed; julienne the pear then drizzle with a dash of lemon juice
- Place rocket leaves onto a plate; scatter the thinly sliced pear pieces over the rocket
- Drizzle with more lemon juice
- Crumble the goats cheese on top (I didn't have goats cheese at home so I used parmesan instead - would prefer to use something a little more salty and creamy here as this type of cheese would go very well with the sweetness of the pear)
- Drizzle with caramelised balsamic vinegar
- Serve immediately topped with a sprinkle of black pepper

Voila! An easy, fresh sweet and peppery salad that's perfect for a summer's night.