Blue Cheese And Candied Nut Pear Bite Food

CANDIED NUTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
• Blanch nuts in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and dry them off in a kitchen towel. Lightly toss them into the sugar mixture until coated. Remove nuts, and set aside the sugar spice mixture.
• Bring the oil in a deep fryer or a heavy-bottomed pan to 330 to 350 degrees-F (do not let the oil burn). *Hint: place 1 nut in the oil and when it starts to sizzle, add the rest of the nuts.
• Fry approximately 1 minute, the nuts will turn golden in color, and float. Remove from the oil and add directly to the sugar mixture and toss again. Carefully remove nuts and shake off excess sugar, let cool and serve.
• The recipes for this program, which were provided by contributors and guests who may not be professional chefs, have not been tested in the Food Network's kitchens. Therefore, the Food Network cannot attest to the accuracy of any of the recipes.

BLUE CHEESE PEAR BITES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler on low.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the pear slices, onions, lemon juice, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook until the pears are warmed through and are soft but not falling apart, about 5 minutes.
• Place the toast squares on a baking sheet. Lay a few slices of pears in a single layer on each toast square. Top each with the crumbled blue cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese begins to melt, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter, garnish each with a sprinkle of the white chocolate shavings, and serve immediately.

GRAPES ROLLED IN BLUE CHEESE AND NUTS

Steps:

• Blend the blue cheese and the sour cream and place in a shallow bowl (if the blue cheese is either too thin or dry to stick to grapes, adjust sour cream and cheese amounts accordingly). In a mini-chop or food processor, coarsely chop nuts. Place nuts in a separate shallow bowl. Roll grapes in blue cheese mixture, then roll grapes in nuts. Serve with toothpicks.

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.

GRIDDLED PEAR & BLUE CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• Put the pears in a bowl and drizzle with 1 tsp of the oil. Heat a griddle pan, then cook the pears, in batches, for 1 min on each side. Set aside to cool.
• Mix the remaining oil, vinegar and honey. Toss the pears, leaves and cheese, divide between 4 plates and drizzle with the dressing. Serve with bread, if you like.