Frisee Salad With Pears Blue Cheese And Port Vinaigrette Recipes

SALAD OF FRISEE, RADICCHIO, PEARS, POMEGRANATE AND PERSIMMONS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over high heat, reduce the wine until 1 to 2 tablespoons remain. Let cool.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, reduced wine, and olive oil and, season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Place the frisee, radicchio, persimmon slices, pear slices, and figs in a bowl.
• Add the vinaigrette and gently toss together. Place on individual salad plates. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and walnut halves and serve immediately.

FRISEE SALAD WITH SPICED WALNUTS, PEARS, FARMHOUSE CHEDDAR, AND PORT VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Dressing: Simmer the port in a small saucepan until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Let cool, then whisk in the vinegar, shallot, and salt and pepper, to taste. Gradually whisk in the olive oil.
• Salad: In a large bowl, toss the frisee or mesclun, radicchio, and pear. Divide the salad among 4 plates. Drizzle with the dressing; you probably won't use it all. With a vegetable peeler, shave the cheese over top. Scatter the walnuts on top and serve immediately.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat about 1-inch of oil to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add walnuts and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain and transfer nuts to a medium bowl. While nuts are still hot and slightly wet, add confectioners' sugar and toss to coat nuts. Stir and toss until all the sugar has melted into the nuts; if bits of un-melted sugar remain on the nuts, they will not fry properly.
• Stir the nuts again before frying. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer a few nuts to the hot oil, allowing the foam to subside before adding another spoonful. (Otherwise, the oil could foam over and burn you.) Fry in small batches until the nuts are medium brown, about 45 seconds; be careful not to overcook. Scatter on an unlined baking sheet to cool slightly.
• In a small bowl, stir together cayenne, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and pepper, to taste.
• While the nuts are still warm, transfer them to a bowl and sprinkle evenly with about half of the spice mix. Toss well to distribute the spices and then taste a nut. Add more spice mix, to taste, and toss well after each addition. When cool, pack in an airtight jar. They will keep at room temperature for at least 2 weeks.

PEAR AND FRISEE SALAD WITH BACON AND BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• In a small skillet, cook bacon over medium, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 9 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add 2 tablespoons bacon drippings to a large bowl. (If drippings measure less than 2 tablespoons, supplement with oil.) Whisk in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
• Add frisee, pears, and parsley to bowl and toss to combine. Sprinkle salad with bacon and cheese.