Goats’ curd, golden beetroot, grapes, poached pear and ajo blanco

Ajo blanco is a chilled uncooked soup from Andalusia in Spain, which I’ve eaten and enjoyed many times, usually garnished with halved grapes. Here I use it as a very plentiful dressing. Choose cooking pears that are firm but ripe: varieties such as Comice, Anjou and Conference work well. Use whole almonds with the skin on and then remove the skin yourself for the best result. Simply place them in a heatproof bowl and pour on enough boiling water to cover by 3cm (1¼in.). Leave to cool, then