Watercress And Gorgonzola Salad With Spiced Walnuts Recipes

Steps:

• Place walnuts and sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves into a light brown liquid and coats the walnuts. Remove walnuts from skillet, and spread them out on a sheet of aluminum foil to cool.
• Place in a large salad bowl the mixed greens, cranberries, cheese, vinaigrette, vinegar, and olive oil. Toss gently; add candied walnuts, and toss again.

Steps:

• Combine the onion, mustard, vinegar, honey, lemon juice and grapeseed oil in a food processor or blender. Purée until onion is very fine. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil.
• Rinse and dry the watercress. In a large bowl, season watercress with salt and pepper and toss with the dressing. Arrange cheese and fruit on four salad plates and top with watercress.

Steps:

• In a medium mixing bowl, toss watercress, gorgonzola, onion, nuts and vinaigrette. Season and decoratively place in the center of a chilled plate (be sure to divide all ingredients evenly amongst 4 plates). Garnish salad with slices of prosciutto, figs and a drizzle of fig balsamic vinegar.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium saute pan over medium heat, melt butter and then add nuts. Toss nuts in pan until well coated with butter, then add honey and toss some more until nuts are well coated. Season with salt, pepper and a touch of cayenne pepper. Put nuts in oven for about 5 to 7 minutes, tossing regularly so they toast evenly. Cool. Store in airtight container until needed.
• Place all ingredients in blender except oil. Process until smooth and then slowly drizzle in oil. Adjust seasoning, as desired.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Slice the pears in half lengthwise. Rub each half with a pinch of salt. Put parchment paper on a tray just large enough to hold the pears, and spread the sugar on the paper. There should be a 1/8-inch layer. Put the pear halves cut side down on the sugar and bake for 1 hour. When the pears are cool enough to handle, remove the cores and slice them crosswise into 1/8-inch sections.
• Put the lemon juice in a salad bowl with salt and pepper and mix to dissolve the salt, then whisk in the oil. Arrange the slices of pear 1 pear per plate, in 1 layer in the center of the plate, leaving a 3-inch gap in the center for the watercress and the rocket. Scatter the cheese and then the walnuts over the pears, and then drizzle the honey on top of the walnuts and cheese.
• Put the watercress, rocket, and basil in the salad bowl and toss together. Then place the salad in the center of the pears.
• Garnish with the flowers.

Steps:

• Combine the watercress, grapefruit supremes and juice, orange supremes and juice, olive oil and some salt and pepper in a large bowl. Gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Combine vinegar, salt, and pepper in a salad bowl. Slowly whisk in oil. Add watercress and toss with vinaigrette to evenly coat. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Make caramelized walnuts:
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In baking pan toast nuts in oven until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. In a small bowl stir together caramelized-walnuts ingredients and in a small nonstick skillet cook over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar caramelizes and coats nuts. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool. Break walnuts apart.
• Make dressing:
• Mince and mash garlic to a paste with salt and in a bowl whisk with mustard and lemon juice. Add oils in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified and whisk in tarragon and salt and pepper to taste.
• Trim endive and cut into julienne strips. Discard coarse stems from watercress and toss with endive and dressing. Top salad with Roquefort and walnuts.

Steps:

• Place the walnuts in a skillet over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly browned.
• In a large bowl, toss the toasted walnuts, salad greens, oranges, and red onion.
• In a large jar with a lid, mix the olive oil, vegetable oil, orange juice, sugar, vinegar, mustard, oregano, and pepper. Seal jar, and shake to mix.
• Divide the salad greens mixture into individual servings. To serve, sprinkle with Gorgonzola cheese, and drizzle with the dressing mixture.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375ºF. For the spiced walnuts, place the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast lightly, about 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl and toss with the cayenne pepper and maple syrup. Return the coated nuts to the baking sheet. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the walnuts to oiled wax paper to cool. For the salad, bring 1 cup of balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan. Simmer to reduce the liquid by two-thirds, and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients, including the remaining 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Divide the salad among six plates. Drizzle the reserved reduced balsamic vinegar around the plates. Serve immediately.