Pear Salad with Gorgonzola and Candied Walnuts →

Pears and cheese are a classic pairing. Combining sweet juicy pears with full-flavored, salty, earthy Gorgonzola and crunchy, bitter-sweet candied walnuts will take you to culinary Nirvana. Serve over a bed of salad greens dressed with a tangy white balsamic vinaigrette and score points with your family or guests. Enjoy!

Pear Salad with Gorgonzola and Candied Walnuts
Serves 4 as a side salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large ripe Comice or Bartlett pear quartered and thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons (or more to taste) Gorgonzola cheese crumbled (or other firm Bleu cheese)

• 3-4 tablespoons coarsely chopped candied walnuts (recipe below)

• 2-3 cups of salad greens of your choice (I used baby spinach, red leaf, and bib)

• White Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe below)

• salt and pepper

Optional: micro-greens of choice (I used radish sprouts)

PREPARATION
Make the Candied Walnuts: makes about a cup; make ahead and store in an airtight container in a cool place. These candied walnuts are also great for snacking.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

• 1 cup whole toasted walnut halves

• ¼ cup light brown sugar

• scant ½ teaspoon of salt

• ½ teaspoon of black pepper

Optional: a pinch of cayenne pepper

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, mix the sugar, salt, and pepper. Rinse the toasted walnuts to wet them and drain. Add the wet walnuts to the sugar mixture and mix well until the walnuts are well coated.

2. Spread the coated walnuts in a single layer on a foil or parchment-lined sheet pan and place in the preheated oven.

3. Mix after 4 minutes and continue baking for another 4-5 minutes.

4. Allow the nuts to cool completely before storing. They will become crunchy as they cool.

Make the vinaigrette: makes about a cup of vinaigrette

• ¼ cup Balsamic or White Wine vinegar

• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon honey

• ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper

• a few drops of lime juice

• ¾ cup of good-quality olive oil

Mix the first five ingredients in a medium bowl and slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified. Store for up to a week in an airtight container in a cool place.

Assemble the salads:

1. Place a small handful of salad greens on each of 4 plates.

2. Seed, quarter, and slice the pears so you have three slices for each plate.

3. Drizzle the pears and greens with the vinaigrette.

4. Sprinkle over with the Gorgonzola crumbles and chopped walnuts.

5. Finish with a few micro-green sprouts if using.

Wine pairing: for white wines, a light fresh Chablis, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Grigio, Albariño, or Rosé would work with this salad. Light red wines like Grenache, Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, or Nebbiolo are also good choices for those who prefer red wines. Avoid overly acidic/minerally whites and heavy tannin red wines.

Asian Pear, Avocado, and Cherry Fruit Salad →

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2020
Copy and paste to print the recipe.

ASIAN PEAR, AVOCADO, AND CHERRY FRUIT SALAD
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Bibb or Boston Lettuce
2 Asian pears cored and sliced
2 Avocados peeled, seeded, and sliced
20-24 Sweet Bing Cherries
White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Alternate the slices of avocado and pear atop a leaf of lettuce
2. Arrange 4-5 cherries alongside the avocado and pear slices
3. Dress with the vinaigrette (see Note for vinaigrette recipe)
4. Top with a bit of freshly ground black pepper

*Note: for the Vinaigrette
Mix ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar with
¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper (or to taste)
Add a ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard
A few drops of lime juice (optional)
Whisk in 3/4 cup of good olive oil until emulsified

Colorful sweet cherries, creamy avocado, crunchy Asian pear, and tangy vinaigrette…this salad has it all. Dress it with a light white balsamic vinaigrette and freshly ground black pepper, and serve with a baguette or whole-grain bread for a light lunch or dinner salad.

Frisée Pear Salad →

Here is a lighter side-salad or even a starter, using dried cranberries macerated in a tangy white wine vinaigrette and sweet juicy pear in contrast to the slightly bitter frisée, crunchy-chewy pancetta, and creamy-salty Gorgonzola. All 5 taste senses engaged along with a visually appealing easy to make fun salad. I hope you enjoy it.

Frisée and Pear Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 head of frisée (aka chicory or curly endive)

• 2 Bosc or Asian Pears peeled and diced to ½ inch

• ¼ cup diced pancetta or slab bacon (sub toasted walnuts for vegetarian version)

• 1/3 cup dried cranberries coarsely chopped

• 2 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola

• Micro-greens (optional)

• White Wine Vinaigrette (See Note)

• Ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Macerate the craisins in the vinaigrette an hour before using

2. Brown the pancetta

3. Tear the frisée into a bowl

4. Remove the craisins from the vinaigrette and sprinkle over the frisée

5. Lightly dress the frisée with the vinaigrette

6. Place a mound of the dressed frisée-craisins mixture on individual salad plates

7. Drizzle some of the vinaigrette over the diced pear to coat and sprinkle over the greens

8. Garnish with the browned pancetta, gorgonzola, and micro-greens.

9. Serve immediately with freshly ground black pepper and vinaigrette on the side.

*Note: for the Vinaigrette:
Mix ¼ cup white wine vinegar with
¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper (or to taste).
Add a ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard
Whisk in ½ cup of good olive oil until emulsified

https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-frisee-995686

https://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--33223/curly-endive.asp

Snow Peas Salad with Walnuts and Craisins →

A good salad highlights all 5 taste senses. If you want a change from your usual green salad, this is a super easy salad to put together. Macerating the Craisins in the vinaigrette, softens them and adds complexity to the already chewy-tart-sweet flavor of the Craisins. The crunchy bitter toasted walnuts contrast perfectly to the Craisins and the crunchy sweet snow peas. The micro-greens add visual and nutritional value. I originally made this salad to accompany pan-seared lamb chops, but it will complement any rich meat or poultry dish. Enjoy!

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• about 10 snow peas per person= 40 snow peas

• 6 tablespoons of toasted, chopped walnuts

• 4 tablespoons of macerated Craisins coarsely chopped

• microgreens for garnish

• a handful of curly, baby green lettuce or mixed greens (optional)

• White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Method:
1. Make the vinaigrette: (makes 1 cup)
Using a whisk or fork, vigorously whisk together (see Note)

• ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

• ¾ cup olive oil

• 1 tablespoon minced shallot (optional)

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• ¼-½ teaspoon sugar (optional) if the vinaigrette is too acidy for your taste

*Note: you can throw all the ingredients into a Magic Bullet to emulsify the oil and mix the ingredients, or put all the ingredients into a jar with a tight-fitting cap and shake vigorously until well mixed.

2. Macerate the Craisins:
Cover ¼ cup of Craisins with the vinaigrette and macerate for at least an hour to soften the Craisins.

3. Toast the walnuts:
Use either a toaster oven or skillet on your stove-top and toast the walnuts to intensify the flavor; allow to cool before adding to the salad.

4. Steam the snow peas for about 1 minute until bright green and crisp-tender. Immediately rinse them in cold water to retain the color and prevent them from over-cooking.

5. Assemble the salad:
Arrange the snow peas (and greens if using) on individual salad plates.
Sprinkle with walnuts, Craisins, and microgreens.
Add coarsely ground black pepper to taste.
Dress with the vinaigrette to individual taste.

Asparagus and Tomato Salad →

Meo culpa! When I was a child, we had a patch of asparagus growing in the backyard. I didn’t particularly like asparagus then and for years I diligently mowed down that asparagus every year, but the hardy grass that it is, it kept coming back year after year! My tastes have changed over the years. Now I love asparagus and I’m lucky enough to live next door to Hadley, Massachusetts where they grow world-famous Hadley Asparagus. Every Spring we eagerly await the first batches of asparagus to arrive at the local farm stands. Local asparagus snobs say asparagus isn’t worth eating if it’s more than a day or two old. Whether or not you buy into that perspective, this refreshing salad is best made with really fresh asparagus. If you can’t get fresh local asparagus and have to rely on supermarket asparagus from far away, try coating the asparagus with a bit of olive oil and grill or bake it until crisp-tender.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 1 pound asparagus

• 1/3 cup coarsely grated Cotija cheese (or substitute fried Halloumi, or Feta)

• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

• Torn basil leaves for garnish

Vinaigrette:

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• 1 grated or finely minced garlic clove

• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

1. Steam the asparagus until barely fork tender. (about 3-4 minutes)
2. Toss the asparagus and tomatoes with vinaigrette to coat.
3. Sprinkle the cheese on top and garnish with torn basil leaves
4. Salt and pepper to individual taste

Wine pairing: I prefer Sauvignon Blanc with asparagus. Here’s what “Food and Wine Magazine” has to say about wine and asparagus: https://www.foodandwine.com/vegetables/asparagus/the-truth-about-wine-and-asparagus

Grapefruit Vinaigrette →

Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Yield: about 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice *See note

• 4 teaspoons honey

• 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Whisk oil, grapefruit juice, honey, and vinegar in a large bowl until well blended. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.

*Note: if you don’t have grapefruit juice, you can substitute a 1/4 cup of fresh orange mixed with lime juice for a refreshing citrus vinaigrette.