Blue Cheese Walnut And Pear Pizza 7 Food

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.

PEAR, BLUE CHEESE, WALNUT AND BACON SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients until well blended; set aside.
• In a small frying pan set on a medium heat, melt the butter, stir in the maple syrup or honey and then stir in the walnuts. Continue to heat the walnuts, stirring continuously, for approximately 2-3 minutes or until they are fragrant, caramelized and lightly browned. Remove from the heat; set aside.
• Place the greens in a large salad bowl or, if individual servings are preferred, distribute them equally among 6 salad plates. Sprinkle over the pears, blue cheese and walnuts. Place over chicken then drizzle with dressing and toss.
• Note: I find having the chicken warmed is superior to cold chicken.

PEAR, WALNUT & BLUE CHEESE TART

Steps:

• To make the pastry, blitz the walnuts in a food processor until they resemble breadcrumbs. Add the flour and a large pinch of salt. Pulse briefly to combine, then add the butter and pulse until it resembles large crumbs. Add the egg yolk and pulse until the dough comes together (add 1 tbsp cold water if it seems dry). Squash the dough into a disc, then wrap in baking parchment and chill for at least 30 mins.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 5. Heat the butter and 1 tbsp oil in a heavy-based frying pan or skillet over a medium heat, and cook the shallots, sage and chard stalks for 5-8 mins until soft and starting to caramelise. Add the chard leaves and continue to cook until wilted, then remove from the heat.
• Put the chilled pastry between two sheets of baking parchment and roll out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use it to line a 20cm tart tin, then chill for 30 mins until firm. Toss the pear slices in 1-2 tsp oil on a baking sheet.
• Scrunch up a sheet of baking parchment and use it to line the pastry case, then fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 mins, alongside the pears. Remove both from the oven. Remove the parchment and beans from the pastry case, then bake for 8-10 mins more, until the bottom is golden and crisp.
• Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl, then season with some nutmeg and whisk in the crème fraîche. Stir in the cheese. Pour half the mixture into the tart case, then layer in two-thirds of the chard mixture. Arrange the roasted pear slices and remaining chard mix on top, then pour over the remaining custard. Dot over the walnut halves, then bake for 28-30 mins, or until golden and cooked through. Leave to cool for 20 mins, then slice and serve.

BLUE CHEESE AND PEAR PIZZA

Steps:

• Put the water in a warm bowl and sprinkle the yeast and brown sugar on top. Stir to dissolve and set aside.
• Combine the rye flour, all-purpose flour, salt and olive oil in a mixing bowl and blend well. Add the yeast mixture and blend. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead about 10 minutes. The dough should not be sticky. Add a litle more flour if necessary.
• Shape the dough into a ball. Lightly oil the inside of a mixing bowl, place the dough in it and cover closely with a sheet of clear plastic wrap. Let the dough stand in a reasonably warm place until it is doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to an hour. Punch the dough down, shape into a ball and return it to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Let stand again until doubled in bulk, 30 minutes or so.
• Meanwhile, peel the pears and rub them with the lemon to prevent discoloring. Cut the pears in half lengthwise and remove the cores with a melon-ball cutter. Cut the pear halves into the thinnest possible slices. There should be about six cups.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
• Punch the dough down and divide it into thirds. Roll out each third into a 10- to 11-inch circle. Sprinkle three pizza tins or baking sheets lightly with cornmeal and place a circle of dough on each.
• Arrange a first layer of pear slices close together in concentric circles on each round, leaving a margin of about one inch from the outer rim of dough. Scatter a third of the grated Gruyere over each. Cover with a slightly smaller portion of pear slices and sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese. Brush the rim of each pizza with melted butter.
• Place the pizzas on a rack in the oven and bake 10 to 12 minutes.

PEAR AND BLEU CHEESE PIZZA WITH HONEY DRIZZLE

Steps:

• Defrost the pizza dough and follow instructions on package for making a 12" pizza crust. Make sure ball is thoroughly defrosted and has had time to rest (about 1/2 hour in a bowl) as it will make the dough more elastic and easier to form into a pizza crust.
• Dust with flour and roll out dough into a circle. Put on a pizza pan and brush whole crust with a layer of olive oil.
• Sprinkle dough with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese.
• In a preheated oven (400°F) put the pizza crust into the oven and let bake for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt butter and about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick skillet on medium heat.
• Slice pear into thin slices. Gently sauté pear slices and walnuts for about 3-5 minutes until the pears begin to caramelize.
• Take crust out of the oven after baking for 5 minutes and sprinkles with mozzarella.
• Arrange pears and walnuts all over the top of the pizza and crumble the entire wedge of blue cheese on top of the pear and walnut mixture.
• Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the cheese melts and the crust is browned.
• Lightly drizzle honey over the whole pizza and serve.
• Garnish with a sprinkle of finely chopped flat leaf parsley (optional).
• ***Added flavor: Fry some bacon until crispy and crumble real bacon bits over the top! My family loves the addition of the bacon.