Pear and Pickle Dressing

Name: Pear and Pickle Dressing
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 100 g caster sugar; 1 pear, peeled and left whole; 10 g flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked; 50 ml light olive oil; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 50 g pickled gherkins, cut into small dice; zest and juice of a lemon; sea salt

Preparation info

Feeds
4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
20 min

Appears in

Cafe Cùil Cookbook

By Clare Coghill

Published 2025

About

I thought this up to go with poached eggs, goat’s cheese and black pudding, and it turned out to go really well with salty cheeses or cured meats as well. The sweetness of the poached pear marries up really well with the gherkin.

Ingredients

100 g caster sugar
1 pear, peeled and left whole
10 g

Europe
United Kingdom
Garnish
Vegan
Gluten-free
Scotland
Mediterranean

Method

Begin by poaching your pear. Put the caster sugar in a small saucepan with 200ml water and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, place the whole, peeled pear into the syrup, adding a bit more water if it’s not fully submerged.
Simmer the pear for 8 to 10 minutes, until it looks translucent and is soft enough to pierce with a fork.