Salad with Poached Pears and Valencay Cheese
This is a very unassuming salad. It is plain and simple and has no pretentions to being anything other than a few leaves and some goat cheese sprinkled with flavored sweet vinegar and good olive oil. And it is so refreshing after all the wonderful, deep, luscious richness of the turkey and its accompaniments. Cleanse the palate with this delicious, simple salad.
Yield: six portions as a salad
Equipment: Cutting board, chef’s knife, paring knife, measuring cups and spoons, two small sauce pans, funnel, squeeze bottle, salad spinner.
Ingredients:
½ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
½ cup sugar
1 comice or other seasonal pear
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 cups small lettuce leaves
½ cup flat parsley leaves
½ cup celery leaves
1 piece of Valencay or other aged goat cheese
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper mill
Directions:
- For the syrup, combine the red wine vinegar and chopped rosemary and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let steep for at least four hours, preferably longer. (Professional tip: the heat of the vinegar will break down the cell structure of the rosemary allowing the oil to seep into the vinegar and infuse it with flavor.) After the infusion reduce the vinegar to syrup. Strain to remove the rosemary. Pour through a funnel into a small squeeze bottle.
- For the pear, combine the wine, water and sugar in a small sauce pan. Heat to melt the sugar. Peel the pear and quarter. Remove the core and slice each quarter in half. Place them in the hot wine and poach under moderate heat until the pear begins to become translucent – about two minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider to a plate. Reduce the wine until syrupy. Drizzle over pears and refrigerate.
- Separately wash and gently spin dry the little lettuce leaves, and parsley and celery leaves. Refrigerate covered to retain moisture.
- Trim the chevre into six portions or break into small pieces that you can sprinkle.
- To serve squirt a little oil on the center of the plate. Follow with a squirt of vinegar syrup on top. Place a small pile of salad leaves. Place a piece of pear and the cheese or sprinkle the cheese over the plate. Sprinkle all with salt and rough grind black pepper. Drizzle plate and salad with syrup and oil.
