After touring Scotland and Ireland this past April, my friend Patti and I decided to host an Afternoon High Tea for our friends. The cookbook, The Whisky Kitchen: 100 Ways with Whisky and Food, became the catalyst for High Tea menu.
The recipe below is a slight variation of the original ~ Smoked Gubbeen Cheese & Pearl Barley Salad. The combination of pomegranate seeds, apples, toasted almonds and gruyere cheese is heavenly!
For the salad:
1 cup of pearled barley, uncooked
6 cups of water
1 teaspoon salt
2 Pink Lady or Gala apples, cored and chopped
the juice of (1) lemon, freshly squeezed
seeds from (1) pomegranate
1/2 cup almonds, sliced and toasted
4 - 6 oz smoked Gruyere cheese, sliced
flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced
fresh spinach leaves
For the dressing:
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Put the barley and water into a large saucepan and add the salt. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Drain well. To make the dressing, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and garlic together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the drained barley in a mixing bowl, spoon in half the dressing, and toss while still warm. Spread out on parchment paper to cool.
Meanwhile, quarter and dice the apples. Put them in a mixing bowl. Then squeeze lemon juice over the apples and stir well. Add the pomegranate seed, toasted almonds, and diced smoked Gruyere cheese. Add the remainder dressing. Toss gently and combine with cooled barley. Chill in the refrigerator for one hour to allow flavors to meld. Then line the salad plates with spinach leaves. Spread the barley salad on top of the spinach leaves. Sprinkle with mince parsley leaves. Serve and enjoy!
