Roasted Pear Salad
The 2010 Winner of the “Release Your Inner Chef” recipe contest perfectly mixes hearty blue cheese and pecan flavors with fresh pears and butter lettuce.
Ready In: 55 Minutes
Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Mix 3/4 cup of vinaigrette and sugar in a sauce pan. Cook over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
Place pecans in a skillet and toast over medium heat (watch carefully as they burn easily). Set aside. Mix cherries with toasted pecans and blue cheese and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice pears in half lengthwise and remove cores from pears to create a hole for filling. Place pears, hole side up, in a baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice. Spoon filling into center of pears.
Sprinkle dressing mixture over pears. Bake uncovered until tender, about 30 minutes, basting 3 or 4 times during baking process.
Clean and tear lettuce into bite size pieces and toss with remaining 1/4 cup of vinaigrette. Arrange lettuce on salad plates. Place a pear in center of each plate, spoon pan drippings over top of each pear. Drizzle desired amount of blue cheese dressing over each salad.
