Blue Cheese-Stuffed Roasted Pears with Arugula
Roasted and topped with cranberries, hazelnuts and blue cheese, these pears from the Barefoot Contessa are incredibly flavorful.
Ingredients:
3 ripe, but firm, pears
3 ounces Westward Blue cheese
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
½ cup apple cider vinegar
Freshly-squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons port or dessert wine
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup olive oil
6 ounces arugula greens
Sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Slice pears lengthwise into halves. With a small sharp paring knife and a melon baller, remove the core and seeds from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Toss the pears with some lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Arrange them, core side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold the pears snugly.
2. Gently toss the crumbled blue cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture among the pears, mounding it on top of the indentation.
3. In the same small bowl, combine the apple cider, port, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over and around the pears. Bake the pears, basting occasionally with the cider mixture, for 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside until warm or at room temperature.
4. Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, ¼ cup of lemon juice, and ¼ cup of the basting liquid in a large bowl. Divide the arugula among 6 plates and top each with a pear half. Drizzle each pear with some of the basting liquid, sprinkle with salt, and serve warm.
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Smokey Blue Cheese-Stuffed Pears & Arugula Greens
Topped with spectacular slices of blue cheese stuffed-pear, this salad always wows guests.
Ingredients:
2 ripe, but firm, red pears, peeled
Juice from ½ lemon
½ cup crumbled Rogue Creamery smokey blue cheese
Arugula greens
½ cup dried cranberries
Fresh ground pepper
F&L pear vinaigrette
Method:
1. Wash each pear, peel and remove stems. Then, using either an apple corer or sharp paring knife, hollow out the center of each pear by inserting your chosen tool into the top of the fruit and pushing down in a circular motion, hollowing out the flesh and seeds, until you’ve reached the bottom. Pack blue cheese crumbles into the cavity, keeping one hand on the bottom of the pear to prevent the cheese from slipping out.
2. Place a generous portion of arugula greens in a serving bowl. Take each pear and slice into ¼-inch slices, revealing the blue cheese center. Place pear rounds on top of greens, drizzle with the vinaigrette and top with dried cranberries.
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Blue Cheese & Pear Salad with Arugula Greens
Tossed with a light balsamic vinaigrette, this crisp salad is both bold and beautiful.
Ingredients:
4-6 cups arugula greens
1 D’Anjou pear, cored and thinly sliced
½ cup blue cheese, crumbled
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic until well combined. Season to taste with salt and ground pepper.
2. In a large serving bowl, combine arugula greens and pearl slices. Toss with about half of the vinaigrette, adding more to taste as desired. Crumble blue cheese over top and serve.
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Roasted Pears with White Balsamic Vinegar
Topped with honey drizzle and creamy goat cheese, these pears are stunning for dessert or atop arugula greens in a tasty winter salad.
Ingredients:
4 red pears, halved and seeded
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
8 tablespoons fresh goat cheese
½ cup honey
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Place pat of butter in a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish and melt in oven for 2 minutes.
2. Remove from oven and arrange pears cut side down, single layered. Pop back into the oven and roast for 30 minutes, until pears are just tender. Then, remove and pour vinegar over pears and roast for 7 minutes more.
3. Transfer pears to serving dish, cut side up. Spoon juices over pears from baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on and around pears, then drizzle with honey. Grind fresh black pepper over the top of pears and cheese.
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Honey-Roasted Pear Salad with Thyme-Apple Verjus Vinaigrette
This salad is a stunner!
Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs
4 ripe but firm Bosc pears (about 2 ½ pounds), halved, cored
¼ cup honey
6 cups mixed spring greens, such as this week’s Wrinkled Crinkled Cress, Claytonia and salad mix
6 ounces blue cheese, sliced or coarsely crumbled
½ cup hazelnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
Dressing:
â…“ cup apple verjus
â…“ cup olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Method:
1. To prepare the dressing, whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°. Scatter thyme sprigs on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the pear halves cut side down on a work surface. Starting ½ -inch from stem and leaving the pear half intact, cut each lengthwise into scant ⅓- to 1/2 -inch-wide slices. Press pear gently to fan slices; place atop thyme sprigs. Drizzle pears with honey; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until pears are tender, about 15 minutes. Let stand on a baking sheet at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.
3. Combine the greens in a large bowl. Add a drizzle dressing and toss to coat, adding more to taste. Divide the salad among plates and place a pear half on top of the greens. Garnish salads with cheese; sprinkle with nuts.
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Savory Roasted Squash, Two Ways
After roasting, this side is topped with either fresh thyme, honey and walnuts, or hazelnuts and blue cheese, for a spectacular finish.
Ingredients:
1 fall squash of your choice, such as Delicata, seeded and quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
For Honey-Herb Topping:
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
¼ cup toasted walnuts, chopped
For Blue Cheese Topping:
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Place squash quarters skin side down on a heavy baking sheet and brush flesh generously with olive oil using a brush. Sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper, and bake for 30-40 minutes until squash is tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool just slightly.
2. For honey-herb topping: Transfer squash to a serving dish and brush lightly with additional olive oil before sprinkling the pieces with fresh thyme and walnuts, finishing with a healthy drizzling of honey. For blue cheese topping: Transfer squash to a serving dish and brush lightly with olive oil before sprinkling blue cheese and hazelnuts over each piece of squash.
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Beet Salad with Arugula, Apples and Blue Cheese
Tossed with a light balsamic vinaigrette, this crisp salad is both bold and beautiful.
Ingredients:
4-6 cups arugula greens
1 bunch Chioggia beets, trimmed of green tops
1 Cameo apple, cored and thinly sliced
½ cup blue cheese, crumbled
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place beets in a large roasting pan and pour in ½ cup water. Cover with parchment and foil. Roast until just tender, they should be easily pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes. Peel beets under cool water. Cut in half lengthwise and again in quarters.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic until well combined. Season to taste with salt and ground pepper.
3. In a large serving bowl, combine arugula greens, warm beet slices and apple slices. Toss with about half of the vinaigrette, adding more to taste as desired. Crumble blue cheese over top and serve.
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Apple-Pear Galette with Smokey Blue Cheese
Slice this beautiful tart into wedges and serve as an appetizer!
Ingredients:
Farm & Larder galette dough, chilled
1 Lady apple
2 red pears
2 tablespoons butter
2 shallots
½ cup Rogue Creamery smokey blue cheese
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Peel, halve and core the apples and pears and slice into ¼-inch thick pieces. In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender; remove from heat.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry into a 12-by-14-inch rectangle and transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Decoratively arrange the apple and pears slices over the pastry to within an inch of the edge. Spread the shallots over top in an even layer, then fold the pastry edge up and over the fruit mixture to create a 1-inch border.
3. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the pastry is starting to brown and the fruit is tender. Sprinkle the galette with chopped walnuts and bake an additional 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and sprinkle over the crumbled blue cheese. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the galette cool. Slice into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
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Mizuna Greens with Candied Pecans & Pear Vinaigrette
This flavor-packed salad is both light and fresh, accented with creamy blue cheese, juicy pomegranate and crunchy candied pecans.
Ingredients:
Mizuna greens
Farm & Larder pear vinaigrette
4-5 Seckel pears, seeded and sliced
4 Belgian endives, sliced thinly
½ cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
½ cup candied pecans
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Rinse Mizuna greens and pat dry with paper towels, or spin dry in a salad spinner. Transfer to large mixing bowl and add sliced pear, endive and pomegranate seeds.
2. Drizzle with about ½ cup Farm & Larder pear vinaigrette, and season to taste with fresh ground pepper, adding more vinaigrette as desired. Sprinkle with candied pecans and crumbled blue cheese.
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Fig & Blue Cheese Galette
Topped with sweet onions and peppery arugula, this savory starter is wonderful sliced in wedges and served with crisp wine.
Ingredients:
Farm & Larder galette dough, chilled
6-8 figs, washed and halved or quartered
¾ cup blue cheese, crumbled
¼ cup sweet onion, very thinly sliced
1 cup loosely packed arugula
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap chilled dough and place on a well floured surface. Let sit until edges become soft enough to roll.
2. Roll out dough into 3/4″ inch thick slab on a floured surface and transfer to baking sheet. Brush dough lightly with olive oil, reserving ½ tablespoon, and season surface with salt and pepper.
3. Leaving a 1 inch border around the circumference, dot the interior with fig halves and blue cheese crumbles, then scatter onion slices over. Roll border edges over to create a rustic crust, then brush with remaining olive oil.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle arugula leaves over. Slice into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
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