Salad with pears
Insalata con pere
I love making salad with pears and other fruits like apricot and apple. The wonder of pears is that they can be very different depending on the maturity of the fruit. When the pear is green and firm it has crunch and a rather anonymous nutty taste like Jerusalem artichokes. And when the pears are ripe the salad becomes mellow, sweet and slightly decadent. The fruit is so wonderfully versatile.
This salad with pears is traditional in its combination with arugula and gorgonzola, but the preparation gives it a nice twist. The pears are grilled and the gorgonzola is covered in a wonderfully crisp fried batter. It may not be the healthiest variation, but it sure tastes good.
Ingredients
For the salad
4 pears
150 g arugula
100 g firm gorgonzola
50 g walnuts
A little vinegar and olive oil for dressing
For the batter
100 g flour
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
30 ml sparkling water
Tasteless oil for deep frying
Preparation
Start by making the beignet batter.
Mix flour, cornflour and baking powder
Add bubbly water to make a smooth, runny batter
Wash the pears, Cut them in quarters and remove the core.
Fry each quarter on a very hot grill pan until it is beautifully lined
Cut the gorgonzola cheese in cubes. Coat each cube in batter.
And fry it in hot oil until golden.
If the oil is hot enough the batter will form a protective shield before the cheese starts to melt.
Leave the crispy gorgonzola balls on absorbent paper to cool.
Dress the washed arugula in a light dressing made from vinegar and olive oil.
Add grilled pears and gorgonzola beignets
Sprinkle walnuts over the salad with pears before serving.
Salad with pears, arugula and gorgonzola beignets.
I happen to have a few pears on the kitchen counter that I wasn’t sure how I’d eat… now I have a plan! Thanks *grin*
Hope it works out:)
Yummy! :)
Thanks
I never would have though of pears and salad but this sounds delicious. Thanks for the ideas!
You should try it. It’s a very nice combo, and kids love it.
Grilled pears is something new. Looks delicious!
Yes, but remember to use firm ones.
I love any salad with pears in it – and this version sounds decadent and wonderful.
Yes, there’s a sweet decay over pears, I think.