Grilled Pear or Peach Salad with Bleu cheese Vinaigrette & Sugared Pecans

 

"New from the Kitchen"
Recipe of the Month - February 2015


griffed pear salad
Salads: Grilled Pear or Peach Salad with Bleu cheese Vinaigrette & Sugared Pecans
Serves: 4

This salad is versital in that you can use peaches or pears as the fruit depending on what is fresh at the time. I use a bleu cheese vinaigrette recipe from October 1997 Bon Apetite paired with some of the sugared pecans we featured as the monthly recipe in December 2012.

Ingredients 
For Bleu Cheese Vinaigrette


7 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese
1/4 cup white wine vinaigrette
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (optonal)

Ingredients 
For Salad


2 fresh, peeled, pitted peaches or cored pears
6 cups sturdy greens such as green leaf, red leaf, romaine and bibb lettuces
Bleu cheese vinaigrette
Sugared pecans
1 tablespoon honey for basting fruit

Instructions 
For Vinaigrette


Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in small, heavy skillet over medium heat and add 2 teaspoons garlic and saute until golden. Transfer garlic to blender, add blue cheese, white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon water, sugar, tobasco, salt, pepper and remaining oil and blend well. Transfer to a bowl and mix in chopped basil. Can be made 2 days ahead and keep covered in refrigerator.

Instructions 
For salad:


Cut the fruit in half and brush both sides with a little honey. Grill for 3 minutes per side or until tender.

Place the mixed greens on plate, top with half a grilled fruit on each plate, drizzle with vinaigrette and spinkle with half a dozen sugared pecans.

Comments