When the temperatures drop, we seem to turn to soups, stews, and comfort foods, but it's always good to have some lighter options too, like winter salads. For me, winter salads are not as easy as summer salads. I can't just fill a bag with fresh, ripe produce at the farmer's market, chop it all up, and toss it with some dressing. Winter salads require a bit more thought. To hold my attention, a winter salad needs to be colorful and flavorful and have various textures going on.
The concept for this winter salad started with a wedge of Roquefort blue cheese (sent to me by Ile de France) and some pears (sent to me by USA Pears). The timing of these two deliveries couldn't have been better, as I knew the pears and Roquefort would complement each other. I selected a Bosc pear from the assortment I received because I love its papery skin and honey-sweet flavor. And I thought that sweet flavor would prove the perfect contrast to the creamy, pungent Roquefort. Now I just needed to figure out what else would go with them and fit my need for a flavorful, colorful, textured salad.
Some toasted walnuts seemed obvious, caramelized onions would add a sweet-savory note, and bacon would pitch in a needed crunch and saltiness.
Flavor and texture resolved, my salad still needed a pop of color. So I whipped up a tangy cranberry-Dijon vinaigrette to top it off.
Pear And Roquefort Salad With Cranberry-Dijon Vinaigrette
Use as much or as little of each ingredient as you like to tailor your salad to you and your guests. This is merely a guide. I made myself a dinner-size salad and found a generous handful of greens, 2 tablespoons of walnuts, 1/2 a pear, 2 tablespoons onions, 1 slice of bacon, and 1/2 ounce of Roquefort to be satisfying.
Ingredients
Mesclun greens
Toasted walnuts
Thinly sliced Bosc pear
Caramelized onions
Cooked, crumbled bacon
Ile de France Roquefort blue cheese, crumbled or chopped
Cranberry-Dijon vinaigrette (recipe below)
Preparation
Divide mesclun greens among plates. Scatter walnuts over greens. Layer sliced pear over greens. Toss onions, bacon, and Roquefort on top. Drizzle cranberry-Dijon vinaigrette over each salad.
Cranberry-Dijon Vinaigrette (adapted from Food.com)
Makes about 3/4 cup to 1 cup dressing
Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup O Cabernet Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preparation
Combine cranberries, sugar, and vinegar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring and smashing cranberries occasionally, until cranberries start to pop, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Transfer cranberry mixture to bowl of food processor. Add mustard and orange juice, and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Slowly stream in oil while food processor is running.
Transfer dressing to small carafe or measuring cup, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Dressing can be covered and stored in refrigerator for 1 week. (Recipe can easily be doubled.)
And now for the giveaway. Not only were the people at Ile de France kind enough to send me a wedge of their new Roquefort blue cheese to sample, but they're also giving 5 of you the opportunity to win a cheese basket!
To enter, just leave a comment telling me your favorite cheese or what you would do with a wedge of Roquefort. Would you make a Roquefort butter to flavor a steak? Would you simply top a piece of toast with the Roquefort and drizzle some honey on top? Would you make a winter salad like I did? Be sure to check out Ile de France's website for more ideas and for more information about Roquefort blue cheese.
You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, December 14, 2011, to enter. Good luck!
I've got another great winter salad using more Roquefort coming up!
19 comments:
Love that you're still rocking the pears! I wonder if roquefort could make for an interesting NYE fondue? hmm.
This is a fabulous winter salad!
I would probably use the roquefort to garnish a butternut squash soup or a salad with roasted winter vegetables.
This salad looks fabulous, I do love pears. (Count me out of the giveaway though, sadly I'm just not a blue cheese gal)
Yum! I love anything with cranberries on it. So tasty. As for the blue cheese - i'd down that thing with a piece of sliced fresh bread (made my first batch this weekend!) and some local honey. YUM!
I have been loving all your pear recipes lately! Blue cheese - I would either use it on a great salad like you have done, or used it on a burger or steak, depends on the mood I am in that night ;)
LOVE the winter salad! So refreshing amidst the gallon of beef stew Jon made last week.
I made a pear and blue cheese tart once that was so disappointing. I feel like these flavors go so well together that I'd use the Roquefort to try again.
this sounds absolutely wonderful!!! i think i'd use the roquefort in a savory cheesecake :)
wow, what an inventive salad, looks wonderful. I think with the cheese I would have to make either a super comforting pasta with some serious spice and blue cheese, or a fabulous appetiser with some puff pastry.
This makes eating a salad look fun!! Love the cranberry dressing. And of course bacon doesn't hurt :)
I love your salad! It definitely encompasses some of my favorite flavors in a winter salad :) Roquefort is one of my absolute favorite cheeses of all time. When I was in Paris, I ate some baguette and Roquefort every single freaking day. I'd love to recreate that memory, it's so simple but unadulterated and perfect. I'd also love to make a comforting quiche with some crumbled Roquefort thrown in there. Excellent. PS that cake recipe is now posted on my blog! Carrot curd is no longer a mystery, hehe :)
look at all the lovely things you've been getting lately!! ;)
LOVE cheese: currently I have goat cheese, cheddar and smoked Gouda in my refrigerator. Sometimes I just like eating it as is or with slices of apples.
Now that's my kind of salad! I'd use the Roquefort in some stuffed mushrooms first, they're my favorite holiday party app!
Ok, you've twisted my arm ;) I could DEFINITELY get behind a cheese basket. Favorite cheese, that's tough, right now I'm liking nice and simple havarti.
if I won roquefort I would stuff some olives with it serve them with a bombay sapphire martini. obviously.
I love parmesan cheese. I don't think I would live without it.
I just got that gift basket and was wondering what to do with the roquefort! (PS I won the basket from another's giveaway way back - warn whoever wins this that it will take like 2 months to get it!!)
ooh made the deadline just in time :) would love to win some cheese--my fave is goat cheese!
And the winners are... Cara, FunandFearlessinBeantown, Traveleatlove, Kerstin, and natalie (thesweetslife)! Congratulations, ladies! Please send me your addresses, and I'll have your cheese baskets sent to you!
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