One of the great things about having a kid is that she unearths things that I forgot I had. I don't know where she finds the stuff -- I think there must be a secret fairy world where children are allowed to go and fetch the things that the fairies took. Anyway, yesterday Ariel found an old sketchbook of mine, and she colored on all the pages. As I leafed through the book myself, I found a couple of recipes that I had jotted down, probably from watching a cooking show on TV. I drew a little picture with it.
We've been eating a lot of pears lately, because my acupuncturist says they are good for my lungs. Also, the organic pears taste like flowers right now, like lilacs or other spring blossoms. This recipe was just perfect, especially because it includes blue cheese.
PEAR SALAD OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN
Ingredients:
pears
thyme
honey
salad greens
blue cheese
vinaigrette dressing
Directions:
In a medium size baking dish, slice pears and fan them over thyme sprigs. Drizzle with honey. Bake for about 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees F. When cool, combine with fresh spring greens and blue cheese. I also add toasted walnuts to this salad.
This recipe called for a vinaigrette made from white grape juice, grape seed oil, and shallots. I say you should always use your favorite homemade vinaigrette. I don't usually stock shallots. For this I found that the Eden organic apple cider vinegar was a good match. After tasting the Eden vinegar, I will never buy generic cider vinegar again. Pear vinegar would be super tasty with this salad. Have you ever tried blood orange vinegar? Maybe I should do a post on vinegar some day.
I am definitely making this one! And I'll try the Eden vinegar, too
ReplyDeleteThat sounds SO good!
ReplyDeleteFirst you start with one of nature's perfect gifts--the pear. Then you add blue cheese and you have an exquisite taste contrast. Add greens and vinaigrette,and you have a salad. A few nuts on top and you have a whole meal!
ReplyDeleteI forgot one step: Add bread to a pear and blue cheese and you have a picnic.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Must try.
ReplyDeleteCurrently my favorite salad: Spicy Moroccan Orange:
Mix chili pepper, cumin, cayenne and chopped garlic. Add a little red wine vinegar and oliver oil.
Section citrus (oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, etc.), removing white and membranes. Add to vinaigrette. Add minced red onion, chopped dates, black olives, minced parsley. Serve on a bed of arugula.