Lunch for Mama

Sometimes my ma decides to spruce up the house a bit. This spring, she took to the living room floor: taking up the carpet (to be replaced with one from her darling daughters), sanding the floor, and staining it. Rather than involve myself in this (somewhat smelly) project I decided to make lunch instead. I stumbled upon a recipe (Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese involving all of Mama's favorites for when she took a break.

The recipe as written is meant as a side dish; when you use a whole pear person, rather than a half, it makes a nice sized lunch. I imagine it would also make a nice a side salad served with steak for dinner.

To be fair, I have to warn you this is a bit pricey to make. Especially if you do your shopping at Whole Foods. But no price is too large for Mama! However, if you want to save a few dollars, you could easily substitute the Stilton for a less costly bleu cheese.

Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese

Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics (Ina Garten)

Serves 6 (or 3 if using 1 pear per person)

3 ripe but firm Anjou pears

Freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)

3 ounces coarsely crumbled sharp blue cheese such as Stilton

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup walnut halves toasted and chopped (see note)

1/2 cup apple cider

3 tablespoons port

1/3 cup light sugar, lightly packed

1/4 cup good olive oil

6 ounces baby arugula

Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Peel the pears and slice them lengthwise into halves. With a small, sharp parking knife and a melon baller, remove the core and seeds from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Trim a small slice away from the rounded sides of each pear half so that they will sit in the baking dish without wobbling. Toss the pears with lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Arrange them, core side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold the pears snuggly.

Gently toss the crumbled blue cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture among the pears, mounding it on top of the indentation.

In the same bowl, combine the apple cider, port, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over and around the pears. Bake the pears, basting occasionally with the cider mixture, for 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside until warm or at room temperature.

Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the basting liquid in a large bowl. Add the arugula and toss well. Divide the arugula among 6 (or 3) plates and top each with a pear half (or two). Drizzle each pear with the some of the basting liquid, sprinkle with salt, and serve.

*Note: Toast walnuts in a dry saute pan over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing frequently, until lightly browned.