Roasted Pear and Roquefort Salad
A bright and crisp green salad that makes the best of pan-roasted pears, complemented by creamy Roquefort Cheese with a sweet-savory dressing.
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon
- 3 slightly underripe Bosc or Anjou Pears
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 5 Tbsp neutral oil, either avocado or light olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp high quality maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 6 cups romaine hearts, cut into 2" pieces
- 1/3 cup fresh chives or green onions, cut into 1" pieces
- 4 oz Roquefort cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Cut bacon into 1/2" slices. Cook bacon pieces in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Drain bacon fat from pan and wipe pan clean with another paper towel.
- Cut pears in half, remove core and quarter. If pears are large, cut each quarter in half. In a large bowl, toss pear wedges carefully with sugar.
- Add one tablespoon to skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is shimmery. Place pears, cut side down, into skillet, being careful not to crowd wedges. Cook pears until well-browned, flipping them over 1/2 way through cooking for other side. If necessary, cook pears in batches, adding a little more oil to skillet with the second batch of pears. As pears cook, transfer them to a large plate or platter to cool completely.
- While pears are cooling, whisk cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and remaining oil together in a large bowl. (Alternatively, you can put all dressing ingredients into a tight-sealing jar and shake vigorously until complete combined.)
- Add lettuce and chives (or green onions) to bowl. Toss with 1/2 the dressing to coat lightly. Season salad greens with more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer salad greens to a serving platter or individual plates, as desired.
- Arrange roasted pears, bacon and crumbled Roquefort on top of the salad and garnish with a few more chives, if desired. Drizzle with a the remaining salad dressing and serve.
Notes
Note: Be sure you use a high-quality maple syrup for this recipe. Grade A is typically the best -- and most expensive -- but there is no substitute for it. Most grocery stores do carry it these days in the cereal aisle, but it's easily ordered online as well if you can't find it locally.