Spinach Salad With Blue Cheese And Peaches Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Soak the red onion in a small bowl of ice water, about 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
• Meanwhile, make the croutons: Mash the anchovies with a fork. Combine the olive oil, mashed anchovies, 1 grated garlic clove and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Add the torn bread and toss with your hands until the bread absorbs the oil. Spread on a baking sheet and bake, stirring halfway through, until golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool.
• Whisk the buttermilk, sour cream, blue cheese, vinegar, parsley, the remaining grated garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl until combined. Add the spinach, lettuce, cucumber, red onion and croutons; toss well.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Arrange pecans on a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, until they just begin to darken. Remove from oven and set aside.
• Peel peaches (if desired) and slice into bite-sized segments. Combine peaches, spinach and pecans in a large bowl. Toss with dressing until evenly coated, adding a little additional dressing, if necessary.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden and fragrant, 6 minutes; roughly chop.
• Preheat a grill to medium-high heat on one side and medium heat on the other. Lightly brush the peaches with oil and grill over medium until nicely marked, about 4 minutes per side. Meanwhile, place a flat cast-iron skillet on the grill over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Combine the spinach, red onion, grilled peaches, pecans and bacon in a large bowl.
• Make the dressing: Mash the blue cheese with a fork in a bowl. Mix in the buttermilk, sour cream, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the salad just before serving.
• Photography by Miki Duisterhof

Steps:

• Heat the grill to medium or the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Add the peaches to a large bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss to coat. Grill for 1 minute per side or warm for 2 minutes in the oven.
• Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegar, mustard, honey and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt.
• Gently mix together the warm peaches, almonds, arugula and blue cheese in a large mixing bowl. Toss with the dressing.
• Cook's Note: I love this served right on top of a steak but it is also great as a side salad.

Steps:

• Toss together the spinach leaves, grapes, blue cheese, and pumpkin seeds. Serve with blue cheese salad dressing if desired.

Steps:

• Cut the apple into quarters, remove the stem and the seeds, and cut into very thin slices. Sprinkle lemon juice over the slices and set aside.
• When ready to serve, in a salad bowl, combine the apple, spinach, radicchio, and blue cheese. Season lightly with salt and pepper and toss with the dressing. Adjust seasoning, to taste.
• To serve, divide the salad among 4 plates and sprinkle the pecans around each salad.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the shallots and the mustard. Whisk in the vinegars, and then the olive and vegetable oils. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed.
• Yield: 1 1/4 cups
• Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, "Adventures in the Kitchen", Random House, 1991
• In a deep-fryer or a deep pot, heat the oil to 350 degrees F. (A deep-frying thermometer can be clipped to the side of the pan so that you can tell when the proper temperature has been reached).
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pecans and boil for 2 minutes. Drain in a large strainer, shaking off all excess water. Sprinkle the salt and cayenne pepper over the nuts and then coat with the confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, allowing the sugar to melt into the pecans. Toss the nuts by shaking the strainer, adding a little more sugar each time, until all the sugar is used and all the nuts are coated. Do not use hands or a spoon to toss. The nuts should have a glaze of sugar.
• Carefully add the nuts to the heated oil, keeping the oil at 350 degrees F. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon to a baking tray to cool.
• Yield: 2 cups
• Recipe courtesy Wolfgang Puck, "Pizza, Pasta & More!," Random House, 2000

Steps:

• Toast the ciabatta slices and drizzle with 1 tbsp oil. Make the dressing by whisking together the remaining oil, honey and lemon juice, then season to taste. Mix all of the other ingredients together in a large bowl and toss with the dressing before serving.

Steps:

• Make the vinaigrette: Using a whisk, combine mustard, vinegar, olive oil, garlic and sugar in a small bowl, and set aside.
• Either in a large serving bowl or in 4 individual serving bowls, arrange spinach, onion, peaches and pine nuts.
• Drizzle with vinaigrette just before serving and sprinkle with cracked black pepper.

Steps:

• Place dressing ingredients in a sealed jar or cruet and shake well to mix.
• Toss all the salad ingredients to mix well.
• Do not add dressing until just before serving.