Gorgonzola Pear And Walnut Appetizer Recipes

GORGONZOLA, PEAR, AND WALNUT APPETIZER

Steps:

• Slice a pear along the side and place a piece on the cracker. Put a piece of the gorgonzola cheese on top of the pear slice.
• Breakup the walnuts into smaller pieces and place them on top of the cheese. The cheese should hold them to the canape.
• Drizzle some honey to sweeten. Tip: You can also add a slice of date instead of honey.

GORGONZOLA AND PEAR AGNOLOTTI WITH SAGE & WALNUT BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Add the flour and eggs to the bowl of a food processor. Blend for 30 seconds until the mixture is sandy but holds together when pressed between your fingers. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface. It will be crumbly, but once you start kneading, it will all come together. Gather the dough and begin to knead with the heel of your hand until it's supple and shiny, 1 to 2 minutes. If the dough feels too dry and not springy enough, add a touch of water and continue to knead until it reaches the right consistency. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Add the pink peppercorns to a small saute pan over medium heat. Toast the peppercorns until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer into a spice grinder and blend. Set aside.
• Heat a large, high-sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the pear and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sauteed pear to a small sheet tray to cool.
• Add the garlic and stick of butter into the same pan and gently melt over medium heat. Add the walnuts and sage. Cook the butter, swirling occasionally, until the milk solids have separated, and the butter is nutty and browned, but not burned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar, then remove the garlic and discard.
• Stir together the mascarpone and Gorgonzola dolce in a large bowl, beating well with a rubber spatula until fully combined. Add the cooled sauteed pears and 1/4 teaspoon of the toasted pink peppercorns and gently stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Set up a pastry bag with a large round tip. Fill the bag with the mascarpone and Gorgonzola filling, then set aside.
• To roll out the pasta, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time (keeping the others covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out), flatten the dough with your palm. Feed the dough through your pasta roller on the widest setting. Fold the dough on either end to create an envelope, then feed through the pasta roller a second time. Fold the dough into an envelope again, decrease the pasta roller setting to make it thinner and run the dough through again. Repeat this process of folding and running through the pasta roller two times before decreasing the thickness of the roller, finishing with the thinnest setting.
• Lay the sheets of pasta on a parchment paper-lined sheet tray and cover with a damp towel while you repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
• To fill and shape the agnolotti, lay a pasta sheet on a floured board with one of the long edges closest to you. Brush the edge closest to you with water. Pipe a line of filling down the center of the dough. Fold over the top portion of the dough to meet the edge that's been brushed with water. Pinch the dough on either side of each mound of filling to seal the dough and to ensure there are no air pockets. Using a fluted pasta wheel, trim the edge of the dough where it's folded to create a clean edge. Pinch the line of filling into 1-inch mounds. Cut between each mound of filling and pinch the sides. Transfer the agnolotti to a sheet tray dusted with flour and repeat with the remaining dough sheets and filling.
• Set up a large pot of boiling water and season generously with kosher salt. Add the agnolotti and cook for 2 to 3 minutes; they will cook quickly.
• Transfer the agnolotti directly into the brown butter sage sauce and toss gently to ensure they're fully covered. To serve, plate and garnish with more ground pink peppercorns, Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino.

PEAR SALAD WITH WALNUTS AND GORGONZOLA

Steps:

• Divide the lettuce onto 4 chilled plates and top with sliced pears and currants or raisins.
• Crumble the cheese evenly over the salads and top with walnut halves.
• In a small bowl combine the lemon juice , rice vinegar, and olive oil. Whisk together and season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste.
• Drizzle half over the salads and serve the rest on the side.

GOURMET PEAR, WALNUT & GORGONZOLA PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Heat oil in non-stick skillet, add onions and saute until softened (7-8 minutes). Add pears and saute for 2 more minutes.
• Add vinegar and pepper and keep stirring until all liquid is evaporated and onions are covered with a glaze.
• Divide the mixture between the wraps. Add the cheese and walnuts.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

CIABATTA PIZZA WITH GORGONZOLA, WALNUT PESTO, AND PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Toast nuts on baking sheet until brown, about 6 minutes. Maintain oven temperature. Transfer hot nuts to processor. Add oil, honey, and thyme; blend until nuts are finely chopped. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper.
• Place bread halves, cut side up, on baking sheet. Spread pesto over bread, about 1 cup per side. Top with Havarti. Bake until bubbly and golden, about 12 minutes. Top with prosciutto, then pears and Gorgonzola. Tuck in arugula. Sprinkle with pepper.

PEARS WITH MAPLE WALNUTS AND GORGONZOLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir sugar and salt in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and maple syrup into a large saute pan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add nuts; toss to coat.
• Transfer nuts to a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar mixture; toss to coat. Toast in oven until fragrant, about 7 minutes. Let nuts cool completely on sheet on a wire rack.
• To serve, arrange candied nuts, pear wedges, and Gorgonzola on a serving platter.