Tag Archives: blue cheese

Caramelized Pear and Arugula Salad

Wow! Do I have a lot to talk about.

First, I really enjoyed not blogging for a week, and staying as far away from the internet as possible. Second . . . I’m glad to be back!

So much has happened in the past few weeks–my band’s first experience playing at a wedding–the marvellous wedding of Kevin and Katina! This included the Chicken Dance, in case you were curious. Jazz was sung. Tambourines were hit repeatedly, and hard. I was also the backup photographer, so there’s a whole ‘nother can of something. A Christmas party for Lydia high school students that I photographed. Our Christmas celebrations. Our trip to Wisconsin. Baby James! A visit with my grandparents (yes, the notorious Mama Kitty). Our New Years party! And the inevitable return to ye squeaky chair in ye Chi-town office.

Wow, wow, wow. Do you know how many pictures await processing? Do you know?? You don’t want to know. Heck, I don’t want to know. Even thinking about opening Photoshop makes me get cold shivers up and down my spine. By indulging in excessive photography, I’ve gone and created a beast.

So my simple solution is to take it nice and easy. Nothing ever happens in January and February anyway, right? So I can take my time and blog about December for the next 6 to 8 weeks?

Oh, good–I’m so glad you don’t mind.

Now let’s talk food.

Do you all know Donna Hay? She’s an Australian recipe developer and food stylist, and I latched on to one of her cookbooks during my first year of marriage. Latched on and didn’t let go. That Christmas everyone got a Donna Hay cookbook for Christmas. The photography and the simplicity of her recipes make her books fabulous–they’ve got the looks and the goods.

So based on the very first Donna Hay recipe that ever graced my table, I bring you an incredible salad. It serves 4 as an appetizer or side, or you can do as I did and simply have it as the main and only dish for dinner (in that case it serves 2).

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

2 oz (4 TBS or 1/2 stick) butter
3 TBS white wine vinegar
1 TBS brown sugar
2 firm brown pears
1/2 cup walnuts
4 oz arugula or mixed greens
5 oz soft blue cheese such as Cambozola

Wash, core and quarter the brown pears. Why must they be brown, you ask? Well, Donna says so. And I think the brown kind are softer than the green kind . . . maybe?

Place the butter, vinegar and brown sugar in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.

When the butter is melted, add the pears (flesh-side down) to the skillet.

Well bless my buttons, it’s a perfect fit! Oh lawsy.

Sprinkle in the walnuts too.

Cook for 8 minutes, until the pears are just softened. Turn the pears halfway so that both sides of the flesh get browned.

Not quite there . . .

But close. We’re looking for this lovely color:

Yes, yes, yes. Make sure you move the walnuts around during this time if they appear to be burning.

Cut the blue cheese into slices or wedges.

Place the arugula or mixed greens on serving plates and top with the pears and walnuts.

As long as you’re not afraid of a little butter, spoon the pan juices over the salad and top off each plate with a slice or two of blue cheese.

Let’s cut into one of these delectable pieces of fruit . . .

Mmmmmm. You won’t know how good this is until you taste it yourself!

So what are you waiting for??

(Sorry, am I coming on a little strong? Because I really love this salad, see.)

Happy New Year everyone! I can’t wait to read about your holiday experiences on all your blogs–I’ll be stopping by to catch up asap!

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Deer Steaks with Onion Blue Cheese Sauce

Mark my words: this sauce would be good on anything.

Does it look like pasta in the picture? Look again–it’s gloriously caramelized onion, swimming in a sauce that gave heaven its name.

I happened to serve it with deer steak, but think regular steaks. Chicken breasts. Pork. Chicken thighs. Probably not fish since fish flesh is so delicate and the sauce is so thick . . . but then again, why not with a hearty piece of salmon? I’ll take any occasion I can get to eat this sauce.

It could even work by itself! (Think: decadent side dish.)

The Pioneer Woman told me to make it shortly after I started reading her blog about a year and a half ago. Thankfully I acted in full obedience, because if I hadn’t, I might not be where I am today.

Which is in front of this plate, eating this glorious sauce.

The original recipe is here, but I’m going to make it for you as well.

Ingredients

2 whole steaks (deer or otherwise)

2 TBS butter

Salt and pepper

4 TBS butter

1 large onion

1 c heavy cream

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Now get ready for a truly incredible experience.

Seriously–are you ready for this?

Okay then.

First, melt some butter in a pan or on a stovetop grill.

Or a real grill, if you’re a real man!

Oh wait, my man was in charge of the steaks on the cast iron stovetop grill . . . so never mind! You’re a man regardless! Unless you’re a woman. Wow this is getting complicated. Forget all of the above and just melt the dang butter.

Grab the steaks:

Instead of 2 large ones, we had a bunch of smaller ones. Season the steaks with salt and pepper, and cook/grill until they’re done to your liking.

I choose medium.

Here they are, ready to be eaten by this ravenous carnivore that I sometimes become.

And now for the sauce! So simple–only 4 ingredients. Butter, onions, cream, cheese.

Cut the onion in half lengthwise, then halve each half. Are you confused yet? Here. I’ll show you.

Now slice it into thin quarter-moon shaped strips.

Start melting the 4 TBS butter in a skillet.

Add the onion, and cook over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes, until the onion starts to caramelize.

Add a little salt and pepper along the way. As soon as the onions are a lovely darkish golden brown color, reduce the heat to low and add the cream.

Oooooh. Whooooaaaaa. Mmmmmmm (the onion sauce has this effect–watch out).

Cook for a few minutes until the cream has reduced by about half.

The cream will take on the lovely golden color of the onions, and you will stare at it transfixed, tongue hanging out, eyes glistening in anticipation, hands scrambling for a spoon. I hope no one’s watching you while this happens, because I’ve been told it can be quite frightening for onlookers.

Right at the end, grab the blue cheese and dump it into the sauce:

Are you a blue cheese hater? If so, please think twice about your stance. Pretty please?Especially because this sauce doesn’t scream ‘blue cheese!’ at you when it’s all done. The rich cheese just adds a rich and wonderful creamy richness to it. There–I used ‘rich’ three times, just to make sure we’re all clear here on what the blue cheese does, exactly.

Stir in the blue cheese and let it melt–and we’re done! Now spoon a large quantity of the sauce on a plate:

Top it off with a piece of steak.

For some reason, I chose a steak that has the shape of the continent of Africa.

That’s another sign you need to make this meal asap–it can turn into a family learning experience. Nothing like a little geography at the dinner table.

I think I can see the city of Casablanca–are those little people running around?

Oh, never mind–it was just some black pepper.

I could have sworn it moved, though.

Enough smart talk! Let’s eat.

Please make sure to slather each bite of meat in this sauce.

Or you can do as we did, and serve it over a heaping pile of rice. The rice does a wonderful job of absorbing that sauce and sending you straight into a state of Nirvana.

What a way to celebrate the over-the-halfway hump in the week that is Wednesday.

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