Peppered Pears Blue Cheese And Fried Sage Recipes

ROASTED PEARS WITH BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Peel the pears and slice them 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. Trim a small slice away from the rounded sides of each pear half so that they will sit in the baking dish without wobbling. 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and 1/4 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.

ROASTED PEARS WITH BLUE CHEESE AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Arrange the pears, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Strip the leaves from the thyme branches and sprinkle over the pears. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spoon a generous teaspoon of crumbled cheese in the center of each pear half, return the pears to the oven and roast until they are tender and the cheese is soft, about 10 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the walnuts on another baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Chop. When the pears are cooked, transfer them to a serving plate and sprinkle the toasted walnuts over the top. Serve hot.

BLUE CHEESE AND PEARS

Steps:

• Spread soft blue cheese on pear slices and drizzle with honey.

PEPPERED PEARS, BLUE CHEESE, AND FRIED SAGE

Steps:

• Halve pears lengthwise and core. Cut pears lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and sprinkle on both sides with pepper.
• In a large non-stick skillet heat 1 tablespoon butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté half of pear slices on both sides until golden brown, about 3 minutes total. With a spatula transfer sautéed pears to a plate and drizzle with half of lemon juice. Sauté and drizzle with remaining pear slices in same manner.
• Divide pears among 4 plates. Sprinkle pears with blue cheese and serve with fried sage leaves.

FIELD GREENS WITH PEARS AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Just before serving time, peel, core, and slice the pears. Combine the greens, pears, walnuts, and blue cheese in a large salad bowl. Drizzle half the Port-Shallot Dressing over the top and toss. Drizzle in the remaining dressing, tossing until the greens are well coated-you may not need to add all the dressing. (Leftover dressing can be kept refrigerated for up to 1 week for another use.) Season with salt and pepper, and toss again.
• Place on chilled salad plates and serve.
• Pour the port into a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, or until the port is reduced to 2/3 cup without the shallots. Set aside to let cool.
• Pour the port and shallots into the conainer of a blender and puree. Add the vinegar and blend well. While the motor is running, drizzle the oil through the hole in the blender top and continue to blend until emulsified and smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside; refrigerate if not using immediately.

FRIED SAGE LEAVES

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan heat 1 inch oil to 365°F. on a deep-fat thermometer. Working quickly, fry sage leaves, 5 at a time, 2 seconds, transferring with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Immediately sprinkle sage leaves with coarse salt.