Pear and Blue Cheese Soup

Our favorite flavor combination is back again. This soup while not very complex is SO EASY and flavorful. It is also very inexpensive to make. Who doesn't like pear and blue cheese? Actually I was talking about this soup at work and I think that I totally grossed out my coworkers. The one guy said that he doesn't eat pears even and the other seemed pretty taken aback that these pears are cooked. I really don't like raw pears to tell you the truth. The texture is all grainy and sandy. I prefer some type of heat to soften them up. Pear and blue cheese pizza is one of our favorites but we also make a tartlet using phyllo cups. I'm sure if I wanted to be really creative I could come up with other ideas. Pear and blue cheese omelet perhaps? Maybe a crostada or galette? A wrap? I think I've made similar panini in the past. Anyway, make this soup, before it really gets warm and summery and you want to eat salad for months.

Pear and Blue Cheese Soup (from Biggest Diabetic Loser)
Serves 2

14.5 ounce fat free, low sodium chicken broth
2 medium sized pears, peeled and sliced
2 ounces blue cheese
1.5 ounce pancetta, diced and pan fried (then cooled)
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle of Paprika

1. Put broth in pot and add sliced pears.
2. Cook until pears are soft enough to blend with a stick blender.
   
3. Remove from heat, stir in blue cheese and add salt, pepper and paprika.

Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza

This is hands down the meal I make most often for J and I. I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com but I do my own thing most of the time. I may have said in the past that I'm not really a fan of raw pears. I don't like the grainy, sandy texture. Cooked pears are delicious. This meal uses the ever popular pear and blue cheese combination. I'll post the link to the original recipe but I have varied this many times.

Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza (adapted from allrecipes.com)

1 pizza crust (I dislike the pre-baked crusts immensely, I either make my own, make flatbread dough, or buy just the dough. Here I used whole wheat dough from the store. I try never to use the dough in the can, it has a funny taste.)

1 bosc pear, peeled and cut into slices or cubes (slices work better on flatbread because chunks are heavier and flatbread doesn't cook as long)

olive oil

6 slices provolone cheese

1/4-1/2 cup blue cheese (I have used all kinds of varieties. I wouldn't use anything too expensive because you aren't eating it raw)

~1/4 cup nuts, coarsely chopped (I recommend walnuts as stated in the original recipe. We have tried several types and sometimes we have even forgotten the nuts entirely)

1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

freshly ground pepper

1. Spread the pizza dough out. If you are using a baking sheet cover with parchment paper.
2. Brush dough with olive oil.
3. Cover dough with provolone cheese, pears, blue cheese, nuts, rosemary, and pepper in that order.
4. Bake according to pizza crust instructions.

I have made this with grilled chicken added. I have followed the original recipe and added the chives. I find that as long as the ingredients listed above are part of this pizza you can alter little things and it always turns out heavenly. This is J's most requested meal. It is super easy and tastes like you got it in a restaurant. I've also drizzled a tsp of olive oil over it before baking and I think this time I used a tsp of honey instead. The honey added a nice sweetness to parts of the pizza that didn't have pear on it.

Peach Cake and Risotto with Caramelized Pears and Gorgonzola

One of my absolute favorite desserts comes from the Silver Palate cookbook. Peach Cake is AMAZING. Unfortunately I had to modify it a little bit but it was wonderful anyway. We ate it so fast there aren't any pictures of it. But I implore you to try it you won't be disappointed.

Peach Cake (The Silver Palate)

4 tbsp. unsalted butter + extra for greasing the pan
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup milk
2 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced (original called for 3 but I couldn't fit that many)
Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
4 tbsp. unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a heavy 9" skillet (my mother always used cast iron but I used my all-clad since I don't own one) well. Prepare the cake: cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Sift the dry ingredients together. Beat half into the creamed mixture. Repeat; beating well. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet. Arrange the peach slices on top of the batter. Bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the ingredients for the topping together in a small bowl with a fork. After the cake has baked for 25 minutes, open the oven and quickly crumble the topping over the peaches. Close the oven and bake until the cake is firm and has pulled away from the edges of the skillet, another 8 minutes. Serve warm, accompanied by a pitcher of heavy cream (that's what the original called for to serve, I whipped the cream with a little sugar and vanilla and served that one top instead). 8 portions (we ate 2 portions each)

One of our favorite flavor combinations is pear and blue cheese. From tartlets to flatbread pizza we just can't get enough of it. I don't particularly like raw pears in fact. Browsing around one day I found a recipe for a risotto with this combination. I've been searching for a risotto that J will eat and enjoy and so I decided to try my hand at a similar (though not the same) recipe.

Risotto with Caramelized Pears and Gorgonzola (inspired by a recipe from Dana McMahan)

1 pear, thinly sliced and peeled
1/3 sweet onion, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
1.5 Tsp sugar

handful of hazelnuts, chopped

1. Melt butter over medium high heat
2. Add pears , sugar and onion
3. Cook over medium high heat at least 10-12 minutes or until caramelized.
   
4. Reduce heat to lowest setting.
5. Add hazelnuts so they can toast for about 4-5 minutes.
   

2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup of white wine
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
Broth (about 4 cups, maybe a bit more or less; chicken or vegetable broth can be used)
1-2 oz gorgonzola cheese

3 tbsp cream

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook the chopped onion until translucent and very slightly colored.
3. Add the rice and cook about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the wine to the rice and allow it to evaporate.
5. Add about ½ cup of broth and simmer.
6. Add the rest of the broth, about ½ cup at a time, keeping mixture at a simmer.
7. Simmer the rice until the risotto is creamy, about 20 minutes stirring constantly.
8. Stir in blue cheese.
   
9. Stir in pear mixture.
10. Allow cheese to melt.
    
11. Serve with a drizzle of cream and black pepper.
    

I thought the whole thing was HEAVENLY. J wasn't quite as impressed. I'm starting to think he's never going to appreciate risotto or that I am cooking it incorrectly. I thought it was perfectly toothsome and creamy without the usual hearty dose of Parmesan. I'll try and put up the not so great picture of the meal I took on my phone but the quality was atrocious. I would definitely make this again even if J won't eat it again.

Peas with Spinach and Shallots & Chicken and Pears with Wild Rice

So I didn't have a chance to add all the info about last week's meal so here are highlights from the rest of the week.

Peas with Spinach and Shallots

Ingredients

• 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 10 oz frozen peas
• 1/4 cup water
• 5 oz baby spinach
• salt
• pepper

Cook shallots and garlic in oil and butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, about 6 minutes.

Stir in peas and water and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in spinach, salt, and pepper and cook, tossing, until spinach is just wilted, about 1 minute.

We served this with some steak that isn't worth showing. The next night was a Cooking Light experiment that met with groans when people saw it but I was told to save the recipe and that it was good. I love those nights the best. When someone thinks that something is going to be inedible and I get to prove them wrong, it's a great feeling. More stories on that later.

Chicken and Pears with Wild Rice (adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

• 1 package uncooked specialty wild rice blend (Zataran's with flavoring spices discarded)
  
• 1 cups apple juice
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries chopped
• 1 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 skinned, boned chicken breast halves, cut into strips
• 1 bunch sliced green onions
• 1 small firm ripe Bosc pear cut into bite sized chunks
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer rice mixture for 25 minutes.

Mix pears with sugar, cinnamon, salt and a little olive oil. Set aside. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Pour pear mixture into skillet, cook until softened, add to completed rice.

Add oil to same large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and onions; sauté 8 minutes or until chicken is done.

Serve chicken on side of rice.