Composed Salad Of Fennel Oven Dried Pears And Maytag Blue Cheese Food

PEAR AND FENNEL SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar with 1/2 teaspoon crushed anise seed, salt and pepper in a serving bowl, then slowly whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil. Add 1 thinly sliced fennel bulb, 2 thinly sliced pears and some parsley; season with salt and pepper and toss. Top with shaved pecorino.

FENNEL-CELERY SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 5-8 minutes; let cool.
• Finely chop 1 shallot half, then thinly slice the other half crosswise; set sliced shallot aside. Combine chopped shallot, mustard, sugar, and 1/4 cup vinegar in a resealable jar. Add oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover and shake to emulsify; set vinaigrette aside.
• Toss figs, reserved sliced shallot, and remaining 1/4 cup vinegar in a small bowl; let sit until figs and shallots are softened, at least 30 minutes.
• Just before serving, toss fennel, celery, blue cheese, and toasted walnuts in a large bowl. Drain figs and shallot and add to bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper.
• Do Ahead
• Vinaigrette can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Figs and shallot can be soaked 4 hours ahead; store covered at room temperature. Fennel and celery can be sliced 4 hours ahead; place in a large bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel and chill.

FENNEL, APPLE, AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk to combine vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar. While continuing to whisk, slowly drizzle in oil, until combined.
• Add cheese, walnuts, fennel, and apple to the vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Add lettuce, and toss again. Transfer to a platter. Serve immediately.

PEAR FENNEL AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE

Steps:

• Combine vinegar, wine and sugar in a heavy, large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil until syrupy and reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Slice fennel bulb paper thin, using a mandoline, a very sharp knife or a food processor slicing disk. Toss fennel with olive oil and salt to taste.
• To serve, spread a bed of fennel evenly on each of six salad plates. Quarter and core pears and arrange quarters on each plate. Distribute pieces of cheese equally among plates, grind fresh black pepper liberally over each and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.

COMPOSED SALAD PALOISE

Steps:

• Make the vinaigrette by whisking together ingredients. Set aside. Drizzle the asparagus and celery root with the vinaigrette, just before serving. Place the lettuce leaves around the edges of the salad platter. Arrange artichokes, asparagus and celery root over lettuce. Dribble vinaigrette over all and sprinkle with herbs.

ASIAN PEAR SALAD WITH TAMARI PECANS AND MAYTAG BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Place the pear vinegar and pear syrup in a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the lemon-o and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the greens, tamari pecans, and currants. Sprinkle over with the blue cheese, then drizzle over with the dressing. Toss the salad gently and briefly, as you do not want the cheese crumbles to begin sticking together. Divide the salad onto the center of 2 chilled salad plates and garnish by fanning the pear slices around each salad.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Combine the tamari and molasses. Season, to taste, with salt and cayenne pepper. Toss with the pecans until they are well coated. Transfer the pecans onto a kitchen towel and allow to briefly drain. Roast the pecans on an icing rack until the pecans are fairly dry and toasted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Chop the pecans into 1/4-inch pieces.

ROASTED FENNEL AND PEAR SALAD WITH BASALMIC-PEAR DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 °F. Arrange pears, cut side up, in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish; add fennel. Drizzle olive oil and chicken broth over pears and fennel. Roast 10 minutes. Turn pears and fennel over and roast until pears are just tender, about 5 minutes longer. Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to plate. Continue roasting fennel until tender, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer fennel to plate with pears, reserving any cooking liquid. Thinly slice fennel and 2 pear halves lengthwise. Cool completely.
• Peel remaining 2 pear halves. Transfer peeled pears to processor. Add reserved cooking liquid and vinegar to processor and blend until very smooth. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
• Divide greens among 4 plates. Top with fennel and pear slices. Drizzle some dressing over each salad. Serve, passing remaining dressing separately.