Bacon Pear And Blue Cheese Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Place the salad greens in a large bowl. Add the red onion, pear, pecans, and blue cheese, and toss to mix evenly.
• To make the dressing, place the maple syrup, vinegar, mayonnaise, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a blender, and blend thoroughly. With the motor running, slowly pour in the walnut oil. Blend until mixture becomes creamy, about 1 minute. Pour over salad mixture, and toss to coat greens evenly. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Place cider in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 30 minutes. Cider should have a syrupy consistency. Remove from heat, and keep warm.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make croutons: Place bread slices on a baking sheet, and brush with 4 tablespoons butter. Toast until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
• Cut pears in half; remove seeds with a small melon baller, and discard. Place pears in a medium bowl. Squeeze lemon juice over, and toss to combine. Add shallots to bowl. Drizzle with remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter; sprinkle with sugar, salt, and pepper; and toss to coat. Place in roasting pan, pears cut side down. Roast until golden brown and soft when pierced with a knife, 35 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and gently with a wooden spoon.
• While pears are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and saute until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain; set aside. Remove pears and shallots from pan, and keep warm.
• Arrange watercress on six serving plates, top with warm pear mixture, and sprinkle with bacon. Place two croutons with a piece of blue cheese on each plate. Drizzle reduced cider over salad. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients until well blended; set aside.
• In a small frying pan set on a medium heat, melt the butter, stir in the maple syrup or honey and then stir in the walnuts. Continue to heat the walnuts, stirring continuously, for approximately 2-3 minutes or until they are fragrant, caramelized and lightly browned. Remove from the heat; set aside.
• Place the greens in a large salad bowl or, if individual servings are preferred, distribute them equally among 6 salad plates. Sprinkle over the pears, blue cheese and walnuts. Place over chicken then drizzle with dressing and toss.
• Note: I find having the chicken warmed is superior to cold chicken.

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.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Arrange the bacon in a single layer on a baking rack set on a sheet pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until browned. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and, when cool enough to handle, cut in large pieces. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, place the eggs in a large saucepan and cover them with cold tap water. Bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat and allow them to sit for exactly 3 1/2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the saucepan and immediately place them in a bowl of cold water for exactly 2 minutes. Peel the eggs and slice them in half lengthwise.
• Arrange the bread slices on a sheet pan and brush the tops with olive oil. Toast in the oven along with the bacon for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for one minute, then rub each toast with the cut side of the garlic clove. Set aside.
• Place the lettuce leaves on a rectangular platter and arrange the bacon pieces over the lettuce. Place the blue cheese shards on top and then the halves of soft-boiled eggs. Drizzle with the dressing, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place the garlic toasts over the top. Serve at room temperature with extra dressing on the side.
• Place the egg yolk, mustard, garlic, anchovies (if using), lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth. With the food processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube and process until thick. Add the Parmesan and pulse 3 times to combine.
• "Make it Ahead" by Ina Garten © Clarkson Potter 2014. Provided courtesy of Ina Garten. All rights reserved.

Steps:

• Mix the pears, cheese, pecans and romaine in a medium-sized salad bowl.
• For the dressing; stir together the vinegar, garlic, basil, honey, salt, and pepper and then add oil slowly in a small bowl with wire whisk. Toss the dressing with the salad just before serving.

Steps:

• To make the salad:
• Place first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Add enough dressing to season to taste and toss well. Garnish salad with croutons and serve.
• To make the easy caesar dressing:
• Combine all ingredients in blender or processor. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• To make the garlic croutons
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter with olive oil and garlic in small saucepan. Place bread cubes on baking sheet. Pour butter mixture over and toss well. Bake until bread cubes are golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely. (Croutons can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store at room temperature in airtight container.)
• Makes about 3 cups.

Steps:

• Place the pear slices in a skillet, and pour in the apple juice. Cook over medium heat until the pears are soft, about 5 minutes. Drain pears and reserve; discard juice.
• Meanwhile, place the bacon in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.
• Preheat the oven broiler.
• Place the focaccia bread slices on a baking sheet. Divide the pear slices evenly among the bread, and top evenly with the bacon, and then with the blue cheese.
• Broil the sandwiches in the preheated broiler until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.