Roasted Pear and Arugula Salad
I had such a great time this weekend at the DC Food 52 Book launch. It was a feast for the eyes and the stomach — I’m still full today from all of the awesome food. For those of you not familiar with Food 52, it’s a community of super talented home cooks who post recipes, chat about food, enter weekly recipe contests, and discuss food news. Check it out!
A small group of us who are fans and contributors to the site get together a few times each year and since our first meeting we have tripled in size! Sunday’s party was to celebrate the launch of Food 52’s first cookbook and the rock stars from our DC group whose recipes made it into the book — congrats to Cathy and Rivka! Everyone was to bring a dish from the cookbook, but some of us who didn’t have it yet brought our own dishes. That’s okay, right?
Of course, I could not resist bringing salad. I brought my friend Heather’s awesome Roasted Pear and Arugula salad. The recipe is at the end of this post. You will love this salad (and the awesome smell that lingers in your kitchen). The pictures below are taken with my new camera…I had fun practicing with such gorgeous food.
Enjoy!
Sally’s cheese plate (all homemade cheeses — my favorite dish)
The ever popular “One Pot Kale & Quinoa Pilaf “
Delicious Mujaddara Lentils with Spiced Yogurt
Kofta Sliders with Cumin-Coriander Aioli
Sweet Potato Gratin (with Cathy’s home made bacon)
And finally, my Roasted Pear & Arugula Salad!
How awesome do these roasted pears look?
Arugula & Roasted Pear Salad
Ingredients
For Roasted Pears:
- 4 firm Anjou Bartlett, or Asian Pears (about 2 pounds)
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
For Salad:
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper
- 2 bunches arugula stems removed, washed, dried, and torn into bite-sized pieces (about 7 cups)
- 4 ounces Parmesan cheese shaved into thin strips with vegetable peeler
- 1 cup walnuts coarsely chopped and toasted in small dry skillet over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant, about 3 minutes
Instructions
- For Roasted Pears: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place baking sheet or broiler pan bottom on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Peel and halve each pear lengthwise. With paring knife or melon baller, remove core. Set each half cut-side down and slice lengthwise into fifths. Toss pears with butter; add sugar and toss again to combine. Spread pears in single layer on preheated baking sheet, making sure each slice lies flat on surface. Roast until browned on bottom, about 10 minutes. Flip each slice and roast until tender and deep golden brown, about 10 minutes longer. Let pears cool while preparing salad.
- For Salad: Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste in small bowl. Combine arugula, pears, and Parmesan in large serving bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss gently to combine; sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Serve immediately.
