Diane Rossen Worthington

Two Endive Salad with Pears, Walnuts and Blue Cheese Recipe
Two Endive Salad with Pears, Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Frisee and Belgian endive go together nicely. After all, they are both from the chicory family. Sometimes mistaken for escarole that has broad leaves, frisee is really curly endive with frilly, slightly peppery leaves. This member of the chicory family -- that also includes radicchio, Treviso and Belgian endive -- has white roots and green spiky leaves. Ask your green grocer to point it out if you're not sure of what it looks like.

Belgian endive (pronounced "ON-DEEV"), with its tight stalk, is pretty easy to find at the market. Choose crisp, firmly packed heads that are white or pale yellow in color. Red endive should be brightly colored with no wrinkled leaves. If the endive is very green, it might be bitterer than the lighter colored endive stalks.

I like to wrap the stalks in paper towels in a lock-top plastic bag to keep them fresh. Right before using, wipe the outer leaves with a damp paper towel. Remove any torn or damaged leaves, trim the bottom, and use them as the recipe suggests.

Here's a salad that combines the best of winter's produce. I like the crisp, sweet, slightly creamy pear flavor contrasting with the Belgian endive and frisee and the toasted walnuts. If you want a more delicate blue cheese flavor, freeze the cheese for 15 minutes and then grate it over the salad just before serving. This is really a nice beginning to an elegant dinner. It is equally delicious as the ending to a dinner with its fruity, sweet flavor notes.

Two Endive Salad with Pears, Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Serves 4-6.

Dressing:

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons Honey Dijon mustard

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup walnuts or candied walnuts or pecans

1 medium head baby curly endive or Frisee, rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces

6 Belgian Endive, ends removed and thinly sliced into vertical strips

1 medium pear, peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or grated blue cheese

1. In a small mixing bowl combine the vinegar, lemon juice and mustard, and whisk to combine. Add the oil and whisk it in slowly until it is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Reserve.

2. If using plain walnuts, preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned and aromatic. Reserve.

3. In a salad bowl, combine the lettuce and endive with the pears and the toasted walnuts. Sprinkle or grate the blue cheese over the salad.

4. To serve, drizzle the vinaigrette over all and toss to mix well.

Advance Preparation: May be prepared up to 4 hours ahead through step 3, covered and refrigerated. The dressing can stay at room temperature.

Salad, American

 

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Two Endive Salad with Pears, Walnuts and Blue Cheese

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