It’s National Pear Day, and while a partridge in a pear tree might be just outside your gift exchange budget, this wine-poached pear salad will have you feeling like a straight-up baller. I’ve always wanted to poach pears ever since I had a similar salad at a friend’s wedding some 11 years ago. Why did I wait this long? The pears take on some nice fall spices and sweetness from the wine and have a very deep autumnal flavor which plays nicely along with the nutty bleu cheese, salty/smoky bacon and sautéed shallots, as you’ll find when you make this recipe below.
Red wine-Poached Pear Salad
2 bosc pears
Red wine
Orange juice
Sugar
Cinnamon stick
3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and smashed
4 slices of thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch batons
2 shallots, peeled, halved and sliced ¼-inch thick
Mixed greens
Candied walnuts
Mangia McCann’s Herby Dijon Vinaigrette
Crumbled bleu cheese
Peel and halve the pears. Remove the core and stem. Set aside.
In a wide saucepan, combine half a bottle of red wine with a half-cup each of orange juice and sugar, a cinnamon stick and the prepared ginger. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Place the halved pears into the pan, cut-side down, and cook for about 25 minutes, basting the rounded, exposed side of the pears frequently. Set the pears aside on a paper-towel lined cutting board and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, in a sauté pan, render the bacon over medium-low heat. Remove the bacon, while still just slightly soft, with a slotted spoon onto a stack of paper towels to drain. Then, in the warm bacon fat, sauté the sliced shallots with a pinch of salt, until just softened. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain with the bacon.
Prepare the dressing (see link above) and slice the poached pears about ⅓-inch thick.
Just before serving, clean, and dry the greens and place in a large bowl. Toss in the rendered bacon and sautéed shallots. Dress the salad lightly and mix together with some salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
To serve, portion the dressed salad among 4 plates. Place a few slices of poached pear on top. Sprinkle on some bleu cheese crumbles and the candied walnuts.
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Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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