TFF: Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese and Walnuts
Baby, it’s cold outside!
I woke up to snow yesterday morning. Surprise snow. The best kind.
By the time I got home, it had already melted. I knew I should have stayed home from work and made that snowman.
Anyway, I’ve been craving something “different” lately. I came across these Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese and Walnuts and said “hmmm…”. My interest in this recipe surprised me because while I like pears, I don’t really like blue cheese or walnuts that much.
Blue cheese can be an overpowering taste but the pears knocked the flavor down a few notches. They ended up being a nice compliment to each other. This dish wouldn’t be for everyone I’m sure, even the looks of it might put some people off due to the colors from the blue cheese, but it was great to satisfy whatever strange craving I was having that led me to this recipe.
Tyler Florence’s Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese and Walnuts
Featured on: How To Boil Water Episode: Thankfully Easy
Rated 5/5 stars based on 30 reviews
Ingredients
4 pears, halved, but not peeled or cored
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 bunch fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup crumbled good-quality blue cheese
1/4 cup walnut pieces
Directions
This is my first post for Tyler Florence Fridays, a group dedicated to sharing their experiences with Tyler Florence’s recipes. Yes, I broke my own rule of not belonging to more than two groups at once, but this one is a good fit for me (and the boyfriend) because I decide what it is I’m making. This will help us keep our resolution this year to make more meals at home.
Stay warm!
Tuesdays with Dorie: French Pear Tart
So this week of Tuesdays with Dorie marks a special occasion – the one year anniversary of TWD! Dorie Greenspan, the author of the fabulous Baking: From my home to yours book we’re all making our way through, chose her French Pear Tart for all of us to try. She also answered questions from the OSI featured bakers. Pretty cool.
This French Pear Tart is a super easy dessert. It’s just a tart shell with an almond cream and pears. You can poach the pears yourself (which I did) or use canned pears to make it even easier. I forgot that I didn’t own a large tart pan (which happens when you have cabinets and closets stuffed to the brim) so I made this in a springform instead. I wasn’t sure how using a different pan would affect it. I found out the tart didn’t get done all the way even after 65 minutes of baking but I didn’t care, it was still good. And what it may have lost in looks from not having the detailed edging on the crust, it made up for in taste. I loved this.
Please visit Dorie’s website for the recipe and to check out all the other amazing things she posts. If you haven’t gotten the Baking: From my home to yours, I highly recommend it. I’ve made enough recipes from it now where I can name off tons of my favorites, but if I had to choose my least favorite I’d have a really hard time. That equals a great book.
I’m looking forward to another great year with TWD. I got the book for Christmas 2007 and joined the group back in April 2008, starting with Bill’s Big Carrot Cake. Last year, I made 44 of the recipes selected. I did a lot of “Blast From the Past” posts when I had extra time and calories to spare where I made selections from before I joined. Now, I’m only 9 behind before I’ve made every single recipe the group has done.
Still need to complete:
Quintuple Chocolate Brownies, Black and White Chocolate Cake, Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake, Almost-Fudge Gateau, Russian Grandmothers’ Apple Pie-Cake, Caramel-Topped Flan, Gooey Chocolate Cakes, The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart, and Marshmallows.
Special thanks to Laurie for starting this amazing group that led me to the food blogging world. And, of course, thanks to Dorie Greenspan for inspiring me and so many other bakers to get in the kitchen every week and do what we love doing.
