Epogne With Pears Ham And Blue Cheese Food

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.

FOUR-CHEESE PASTA WITH PEAS AND HAM

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until very al dente, about 8 minutes, adding the peas in the last 2 minutes of cooking.
• Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, egg white, evaporated milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
• Drain the pasta and peas; wipe the pot dry and return the pasta and peas to the pot. Add the butter and stir to coat. Add the cheddar, mozzarella, fontina and the egg mixture. Place the pot over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes, adding the ham halfway through cooking (don't let the mixture boil or the eggs will scramble). Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the parmesan.

EPOGNE WITH PEARS, HAM AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Make the bread dough through Step 1. Meanwhile, peel, core and slice the pears thin. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pear slices and saute until they begin to brown. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and let stand for 15 minutes. Trim the fat from the prosciutto and cut it into slivers. Set aside. Remove the rind from the cheese, crumble it into large pieces and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle a baking sheet lightly with the cornmeal. Punch the dough down. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 10-inch circle. Top with the prosciutto slivers, then the pear slices and their juices. Season with the salt and pepper. Bake until the edge of the bread is golden, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top and continue to bake until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Cut into 6 wedges and serve.

PEPPERONI AND CHEESE SCRAMBLED EGGS

Steps:

• Heat the grapeseed oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pepperoni and fry, turning as needed, until crisp around the edges, about 1 minute. Transfer to paper towels to drain; pour off the fat and wipe out the skillet.
• Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Whisk the eggs and milk in a bowl; add to the skillet and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, running a rubber spatula around the edges and along the bottom to prevent the eggs from sticking, until almost set, 2 to 3 minutes; sprinkle with the cheese, pepperoni and scallion, then cover and remove from the heat to finish cooking, about 1 more minute.

PEAR CROSTATA WITH HONEY, BLUE CHEESE, AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Arrange the pears, cut sides up, on a baking sheet and dot with butter. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pears are just tender. Let cool.
• Increase the oven heat to 450 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the counter and a rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll the dough out to a 14-inch round, about 1/4-inch thick. It doesn't have to be perfect. Transfer the dough to the back of a lightly floured baking sheet. Slice the pears and arrange them on the dough round by overlapping the slices in a spiral fashion, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Drizzle with the honey, scatter blue cheese over the top, and sprinkle with the almonds.
• Brush the border with the egg wash. Bring the edge of crust over onto the filling, leaving the fruit exposed in center. Gently fold and pinch the dough to seal any cracks. Brush the crust with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with the sugar. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is tender. Slide a knife under the crostata to loosen it from the pan. Then cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
• Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and ice water and work that in with your hands. (Or do the whole thing in a food processor, pulsing a couple of times to combine the dry ingredients, then pulsing in the butter, and then the egg.) Check the consistency of the dough by squeezing a small amount together between thumb and forefingers: You want there to be just enough moisture to bind the dough so that it holds together without being too wet or sticky. If it's still crumbly, add a little more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. When you get it to the right consistency, shape the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic. Put it in the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.

CHEESY GNOCCHI CASSEROLE WITH HAM AND PEAS

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler to high heat.
• Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the ham and thyme and continue to cook until the ham is lightly browned.
• Add the chicken broth and 3/4 cup water and bring to a simmer. Add the gnocchi, stir well, cover and cook until the gnocchi is slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Uncover and stir in the peas, cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and broil until golden and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Serve.

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.