Crostini with Blue Cheese, Honey & Hazelnuts
Fit for pairing with this week’s soup, these decadent crostini are lovely topped with fresh slices of ripe pear or apple.
Ingredients:
12, ¼-inch thick slices of bread, either from a rustic baguette or this week’s whole grain bread
4 ounces blue cheese at room temperature
½ cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Honey
Thinly-sliced, or diced, pear or apple
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Place bread slices in single layer on baking sheet. Toast in oven until barely golden, about 8 minutes. (Can be made 4 hours ahead.)
2. Spread blue cheese on the bread slices and sprinkle hazelnuts over each. Top with fruit slices and return to oven until cheese begins to melt and bread is golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Drizzle each slice lightly with honey and serve.
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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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Warm Beet Salad with Blue Cheese & Hazelnuts
Topped with blue cheese and toasted hazelnuts, this flavorful salad is incredibly beautiful.
Ingredients:
Roasted beets, sliced and still warm from the oven (see recipe)
1 head each Little Gem, baby Romaine and Butter lettuce, rinsed, patted dry with a paper towel and coarsely chopped
1 cup raw hazelnuts
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
½ cup high-quality olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. To toast hazelnuts: Preheat oven to 350°. In a baking pan toast hazelnuts in one layer in middle of oven 10-15 minutes, or until lightly colored and skins are blistered. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove loose skins (don’t worry about skins that don’t come off) and cool completely. Coarsely chop.
2. To prepare vinaigrette: Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar and garlic together, seasoning with fresh ground pepper to taste.
3. To assemble the salad: Arrange lettuce on a large platter and then top with beet slices. Top with crumbled blue cheese and chopped hazelnuts, then drizzle with the vinaigrette.
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Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese & Hazelnuts
Drizzled with our creamy housemade dressing, this crisp salad is topped with fresh blue cheese and earthy, toasted Northwest hazelnuts for a flavorful finish.
Ingredients:
1 head baby romaine lettuce
½ cup chopped hazelnuts
½ cup crumbled Westward Blue cheese (included in box)
Westward Blue cheese dressing (included in box)
Method:
1. Wash lettuce and pat dry with paper towels. Trim root section and cut head in half lengthwise.
2. Pile greens on a serving platter and top with chopped hazelnuts and crumbled blue cheese, then drizzle with dressing. Season with fresh ground pepper to taste.
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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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Baked Feta with Honey
A kick of honey lends a sweet touch to the salty cheese; serve with grilled bread crostini!
Ingredients:
1 8-ounce block sheep’s milk feta, blotted dry with a paper towel
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
Fresh ground pepper
Grilled bread crostini
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the feta in a small baking dish and drizzle the olive oil over the top. Bake until the cheese is soft to the touch, but not melted, about 8 minutes.
2. Remove the feta from the oven and preheat the broiler. Drizzle the honey over the cheese, and then return to the oven and broil until the cheese is golden brown and bubble, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and season generously with pepper. Serve immediately with the grilled bread crostini.
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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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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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Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing & Roasted Hazelnuts
The salad makes for an excellent accompaniment to this week’s Butternut squash soup.
Ingredients:
1 head Romaine lettuce
F&L blue cheese vinaigrette
½ cup roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
Fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Wash Romaine lettuce and drain, patting dry with a paper towel. Remove the core end of the lettuce, and coarsely chop the greens.
2. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and drizzle with the dressing, scattering the roasted hazelnuts over the top. Season generously with fresh ground pepper and serve.
Variation: This salad is also wonderful with chopped bacon bits!
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Double the Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Melty Fontina layered in between slices of Gruyère cheese bread? We say, yes please!
Ingredients:
8 ounces Fontina cheese, grated
Sliced Gruyère cheese bread
Butter
Method:
1. Generously butter a slice of bread and lay butter-side down in a skillet. Add a generous amount of grated Fontina and top with another slice of buttered bread. Repeat with as many sammies as you please.
2. Cook over medium-high heat, flipping once the bottom side is golden brown and Gruyère cheese starts to soften. Toast for another 2-3 minutes until the other side is golden brown. Remove from the skillet and enjoy!
Variations: Triple the cheese, if you like (mozzarella or cheddar would both work well!); or, try layering caramelized onions and/or thinly-sliced apple inside the sandwich, too.
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