Description

This salad makes a great fall salad but can be served any time of the year. The pear halves are roasted with blue cheese crumbles, walnuts, cranberries and port and is served over a bed of baby arugula.

Ingredients

• 3 ripe, firm Anjou pears
• freshly squeezed lemon juice from about 3 lemons
• 3 oz. coarsely crumbled sharp blue cheese
• 1/4 c. dried cranberries
• 1/4 c. walnut halves, toasted and chopped
• 1/2 c. apple juice or cider
• 3 T. port
• 1/3 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 c. good olive oil
• 6 oz. baby arugula
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel pears; slice lengthwise into halves; using a small sharp paring knife and melon baller, remove core and seeds from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Trim a small slice away from the rounded sides of each pear half so that they will sit in the baking dish without wobbling. Toss pears with a bit of lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Arrange, core side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold the pears snugly.
3. Gently toss blue cheese, cranberries and walnuts together in a small bowl; divide evenly among pears, mounding it on top of the indentation.