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Pear and Hazelnut Salad with Oregon Blue Cheese |
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Tuesday, 13 May 2008 |
(Serves 6)
2 heads butter lettuce
Pear and Hazelnut Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
3 large ripe pears, preferably red Bartlett
3 ounces roasted and peeled hazelnuts
6 ounces Oregon blue cheese
Wash and spin dry the butter lettuce, breaking the larger leaves into 4-inch pieces. Toss lettuce with 6 ounces vinaigrette, or enough to evenly coat the leaves, and arrange the dressed lettuce on four chilled plates. Slice each pear in half and spoon out the core. Lay the halves on a cutting board, flat side down, and slice each half on a bias into seven or eight even slices. Press the sliced pear halves lightly to fan them out and carefully transfer the pear fans to the beds of lettuce. Scatter a generous tablespoon of hazelnuts over each salad and heap about an ounce of crumbled Oregon blue cheese at the base of each pear fan. Serve at once.
Pear and Hazelnut Vinaigrette
(Makes about 1 cup)
1 large ripe pear
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup hazelnut oil
Peel, core, and chop the pear, and drop it into a blender. Immediately pour in the rice vinegar to prevent the pear from browning. Add the sugar, salt, pepper, and hazelnut oil and purée until smooth. Keep chilled until ready for use. Dressing keeps, covered and refrigerated, for several days.
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