Pear And Blue Cheese Starter Food

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.

BLUE CHEESE AND PEAR TARTLETS

Steps:

• Pre-bake phyllo shells according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
• Mix together blue cheese, pear, and cream. Season to taste with pepper. Spoon mixture into cooled shells.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

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.

BLUE CHEESE AND PEARS

Steps:

• Spread soft blue cheese on pear slices and drizzle with honey.

PEAR SALAD WITH BLUE CHEESE AND ROCKET

Steps:

• Dressing: Shake Dressing in a jar.
• Pears: Halve then scoop out core. Place cut face down and slice into 3mm / 0.12" slices. (Note 2)
• Walnuts: Spread on tray and toast in a 180°C/350°F oven for 8 minutes or until they smell nutty. Leave some whole, break some in half with hands.
• Dress rocket: In a large bowl, toss rocket with 2 tbsp Dressing.
• Assemble: Pile 1/3 rocket on a platter. Scatter with 1/3 pears, 1/3 walnuts, 1/3 blue cheese crumbled into small chunks. Repeat twice more. Drizzle with remaining Dressing just before serving.

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.

PEAR AND BLUE CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Pate Sucree:.
• Cream together the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla on medium speed using a paddle attachment, scraping down the bowl periodically, until smooth and light in color. Be careful not to overcream the mixture. Add the eggs and yolks gradually, scraping down the bowl and blending until smooth after each addition. Add the flour all at once and mix on low speed until just blended.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Scale the dough as desired. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling. The dough can be held under refrigeration or frozen.
• Filling:.
• On a floured work surface, working in batches, roll out the pastry dough 1/8- to 1/4-in/3- to 6-mm thick. Cut out 12 circles 6-in/15-cm in diameter. Line 12 individual tart pans 5-in/13-cm in diameter with the dough. Trim any excess dough from the edges. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour.
• Preheat an oven to 400°F/204°C Lay a small square of aluminum foil inside each tart pan and fill it with dried beans to weight the dough during baking. Blind bake the tarts 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 350°F/177°C and bake 5 more minutes. If the edges of the tart start to brown too quickly during the baking process, line the edges with aluminum foil. Once the crusts are finished baking, remove the foil and beans, prick the bottoms with a fork, and set them aside to cool, leaving them in their molds.
• Divide the almonds evenly and sprinkle into the bottom of each crust.
• Place one pear half on your work surface at a time. Working with your knife at a diagonal, slice each half crosswise into 1/4-in/6-mm slices. Arrange the slices of one pear half evenly over the almonds.
• Place the cheese in a food processor and mix until smooth. Add the cream, sugar, and eggs. Mix for about 30 seconds, or until the mixture is smooth. Scrape the bowl down periodically while mixing. Divide the mixture evenly over the pears in the crust, scraping the bowl out with a rubber spatula. Spread the mixture gently with a rubber spatula to make sure it covers everything fairly evenly.
• Bake the tarts in a 350°F/177°C oven for 35 minutes, or until set.
• Allow the tarts to cool slightly before removing them from the molds. Slice the tarts and serve them warm.

PEAR AND BLUE CHEESE SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Heat water and sugar in a pan until dissolved. Increase the heat, boil vigorously for 5 minutes, reduce to a simmer, add pear and poach for 10 minutes. Drain and dice the pear and put the pieces in 2 buttered ramekins.
• Melt the butter in a small pan, add flour, and stir until absorbed. Gradually add milk. Stir and cook until thick. Add blue cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in egg yolk.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold 2 tbsp of eggw hite into the sauce to loosen the mixture. Fold in remaining egg whites. Spoon into ramekins and place on a cookie sheet.
• Put cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until well risen. Serve immediately.