Grilled Pear & Blue Cheese Crostini with Bacon and Sigona’s Cranberry-Pear Vinaigrette
Cranberry and pear are two great flavors of fall, and both pair beautifully with blue cheese. We’ve adapted this recipe from Food & Travel Magazine to give you a unique way to enjoy some of our favorites of the season.
Enjoy with a chilled Rosé or Riesling.
See also:
Recipe Roundup: Cranberry-Pear Balsamic
Grilled Pear & Blue Cheese Crostini with Bacon and Sigona’s Cranberry-Pear Vinaigrette
Cranberry and pear are two great flavors of fall, and both pair beautifully with blue cheese. We’ve adapted this recipe from Food & Travel Magazine to give you a unique way to enjoy some of our favorites of the season. Enjoy with a chilled Rosé or Riesling. Serves 4.
Ingredients
For the toasts:
- 3 ripe firm Bosc pears
- 2 TBL Sigona’s Fresh Press Leccino extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1/2 head frisée lettuce torn, or 1 1/2 cups arugula, torn
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp. Sigona’s Cranberry Pear balsamic vinaigrette recipe follows
- 4 slices 1/2-inch thick crusty bread
- 4 TBL crumbled gorgonzola such as Stella, or blue cheese, such as Nauvoo
- 2-3 TBL cooked crumbled bacon/pancetta OR chopped walnuts (we won’t judge if you use both!), optional
For the vinaigrette:
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 TBL Sigona’s Cranberry Pear infused balsamic
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 4 TBL Sigona’s Fresh Press Organic Arbequina extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Start with the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, mix together the Dijon, balsamic, salt and pepper. While whisking, drizzle in the olive oil and mix well to emulsify the mixture. Set aside.
- For the pear-topped toasts: Halve each pear and scoop out the core. Cut each half lengthwise into slices about 1/2 inch thick (about 5-6 slices). Using 1 TBL olive oil, brush the pears with oil. Place a cut side of the pear down on a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat and grill until the pear has grill marks and the sugar has started to caramelize, about 2 ½ – 3 minutes. Flip pears and grill another 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, using 1 TBL olive oil, lightly brush the slices of bread. You can put these in the oven to broil, but I recommend using a stovetop grill. Using a stovetop grill or large pan, grill both sides just slightly on a medium-high heat, just about 1 min per side. This makes the bread crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Once toasted, set aside.
- Toss the frisée or arugula with 1 ½ tsp. of the cranberry pear vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Brush one side of the toasted bread with some of vinaigrette, then top with the frisee/arugula and grilled pears. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese and top with bacon and/or walnuts. Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette on top of the assembled toasts. Serve immediately.
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