Sweet Pear and Gorgonzola Salad with Rocket, Watercress, Walnuts, and Orange Flower Honey
- 4 ripe Comice pears
- 1 tablespoon salt, plus pinch
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup walnut oil
- 1 bunch watercress, washed, spin dried, stemmed
- 1 bunch rocket, washed, spin dried, stemmed
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 pound Gorgonzola, rind removed, crumbled
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons orange flower honey
- 1/2 cup edible flowers, such as sage, rocket blossoms, rose petals, or nasturtiums
- Champagne grapes, as needed for garnish
- 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.
pears, salt, sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper, walnut oil, rocket, fresh basil, walnuts, orange flower, edible flowers, grapes
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sweet-pear-and-gorgonzola-salad-with-rocket-watercress-walnuts-and-orange-flower-honey-recipe.html (may not work)