Pears

Spinach Salad with Roast Pears & Winter Friendly Flank Steak Too

14 Feb 2011
Flank Steak Salad with Roasted Pears

Salads needn't be boring even in the winter. They can be hearty, they can be substantial and full of flavor. They can even tweek your expectations about the season and its food possibilities.

Take this Spinach Salad with Roast Pears, Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette and Flank Steak. My brother Grant paired it with Bonny Doon "Le Pousseur" Syrah 2007. It's made with ingredients that are easily available in the coldest corners around the globe almost any time of the year.

I see you nodding your head saying, "sure pears, spinach and dried cranberries can be winter food. But, flank steak– well Greg– that's summer food."

But I am here to prove to you that even flank steak can be winter friendly. But I know what you are thinking right now. You are thinking there is no way you are going to trudge out to the back yard and light up the grill just so Sippity Sup can prove some inane point about flank steak being winter food. You are thinking that although (of course) you love Sippity Sup dearly, and you want to try and make us happy. But really, grilling outside in your swim suit during a snow storm that's starting to cross some unwritten line of allegiance. Is that what you're thinking?

But please, stay close. Stay inside, and stay warm. But listen to me. Everyone knows flanks steak is great cooked on the grill. It's marinated in something flavorful, then it's quickly cooked over hot flames until barely past rare. Because flank steak must always be served fairly rare. It dries out easily, so it's best cooked fast and hot and licked by flames. Which, you're thinking, makes it summer food. Right?

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Winter Spinach Salad with Roasted Pears, Flank Steak and Dried Cranberry Vinaigrette

Winter Spinach Salad with Roasted Pears, Flank Steak and Dried Cranberry Vinaigr
By jgreghenry Published February 11, 2011
Prep time: 120
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb flank steak
  • 4 clv garlic, peeled and minced
  • 0.5 c worcestershire sauce
  • 2 T plus 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 0 salt and pepper as needed
  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • 2 firm but ripe pears, preferably bosc
  • 0.75 c cider vinegar
  • 2 T pomegranate molasses, or substitute with honey
  • 1 T dijon mustard
  • 0.75 c dried cranberries
  • 0.5 c almonds, roughly chopped
  • 6 oz baby spinach, washed and dried

Directions

Marinate the flank steak. Stir garlic, Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a non reactive dish; season with salt & pepper. Place the steak in the dish, swirling to get the meat well coated. Marinate, turning occasionally for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight in the refrigerator. Roast the pears. Place the rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 450 degrees F. Grease a small baking sheet with butter. Peel and core the pears, then cut each lengthwise into 8 wedges. Toss the slices with sugar in a bowl then place on the buttered baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until softened and browned. Transfer to a plate to cool completely. The pears may be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator up to 3 days, then brought to room temperature before assembling the salad. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. In a blender, whirl vinegar, pomegranate molasses, and mustard. With the machine running add remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, and blend until emulsified. Add 1/4 cup dried cranberries and pulse the machine several times to roughly chop them. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside. Toast the almond pieces in a small skillet set over medium heat, shaking often, until lightly browned. Remove from skillet and set aside in a small bowl to cool. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup dried cranberry. Set aside. Cook the steak. Heat a large cast iron skillet set over high heat, until very hot. It must be an iron skillet to retain as much heat as possible. Remove the steak from the marinade, letting most of the liquid drip away. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt. Place steak in the hot pan. Let sear for 2 to 3 minutes until well browned. Flip to the other side and let sear for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the steak continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the steak. Flank steak must be served rare. 120°F for very rare, 125°F for rare, or 130°F for medium rare. When the desired temperature is reached, remove the steak from the pan to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. When you are ready to assemble the salad, cut the meat in very thin slices, at an angle, against the grain. Place the spinach in a large bowl, add half the almond/cranberry mixture and the vinaigrette to taste. Toss well and arrange the greens on a platter or on individual plates. Top the greens with some pear and flank steak slices to taste. Garnish with additional nuts and berries and a good grind of black pepper.

Notes:

serves 6 Source: Inspired by Stonewall Kitchen

Roasted Pears- A Bit of Rustic Sophistication

04 Dec 2010
pears in a bowl

I was a bit under the gun on this one. I knew I needed to bring a dessert to a friend's house for a impromptu dinner party. And I did have the bug to cook. So I thought good and hard about what I wanted.

Or I should say, what I thought I wanted. Because they are not quite the same thing. I thought I wanted poached pears with Champagne-ginger and saffron syrup. I thought I wanted them peeled, left whole and wholly elegant. I thought I wanted to spend 2 hours in the kitchen preparing them. I even considered sprinkling them with edible gold flakes. That's when I put on the brakes and realized I was just one cutesy step away from wrapping them in ribbon, or painting a smiley face on their pert little cheeks.

I mean I was invited for a casual meal. A tapas-style Spanish celebration to say farewell to a friend who is returning to Spain after an extended stay in Los Angeles. I'm sure my original intention of poached pears would have been lovely. But entirely inappropriate.

It's this blogging competition you see. While I'll admit there's a part of me that thrives on it. Sometimes I find myself ratcheting things up a wee bit too much. I mean really... edible gold flecks? How did that even get into my brain in the first place? Where would I even find them? So instead, I pulled back on the reins and really thought about what I wanted to eat. What I wanted to present to my friends as an expression of myself and our friendship.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Roasted Pears with Balsamic Glaze and Cheese

Roasted Pears with Balsamic Glaze
By jgreghenry Published December 4, 2010
Prep time: 5
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 4 T unsalted butter
  • 4 firm but ripe pears, preferably bosc
  • 6 T balsamic vinegar, plus more as needed
  • 0.5 c apple juice
  • 0 freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 0 almost any variety of cheese, optional

Directions

Working from the bottom, remove the core of each pear by cutting out a pointed cylinder shape with a paring knife. Remove just enough to get the core, leaving the stem end in tact. Slice a small disc off the bottom of each cored pear so that it sit upright. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Have ready a roasting pan or baking dish that will just barely accommodate the pear sitting upright side by side, close but not touching. Using too large a pan will cause the sauce to scorch. Place the butter in the pan and place on the middle rack until melted, about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and arrange the pears, standing up, in the butter. Roast the pears in the middle of the oven until almost tender, about 15- 25 minutes, depending on the ripeness and size of the pears. Drizzle the vinegar over the pears and roast for 5 more minutes. Immediately transfer the pears, to serving plates. Pour any of the pan juices into a small sauce pan, add the apple juice. Cook, stirring often over medium heat, until the sauce reduces by about 1/3 and becomes a bit syrupy. Add additional balsamic to taste to adjust acidity if needed. There should be a bite of tangy vinegar to off-set the sweet pairs, especially if you choose to serve this with cheese. Puddle a small amount of the sauce onto the serving plates and sprinkle the pears with black pepper. Serve at once. ROASTED PEAR VARIATIONS: Blue Cheese: Crumble about 1 ounce over each pear just prior to serving. Goat Cheese: Place a spoonful of soft goat cheese next to each pear just prior to serving. Drizzle sauce over cheese. Mascarpone: Place a spoonful next to each pear just prior to serving. The warmth of the pear will melt the mascarpone slightly so it will mingle with the sauce. Pecorino or Manchego: Thinly shave aged Pecorino or Manchego alongside each pear just prior to serving.

Notes:

serves 4

A Parisian Double Smack on Both Cheeks- Pear & Almond Tart

19 Nov 2010
Pear & Almond Tart

Vous êtes magnifique. Vous êtes beau, vous êtes tres joli.

Sorry for slipping into French, I do that when I feel overwhelmed. Not that I'm French. It's just an affectation I picked up in high school (to make me seem more interesting). That's a different (long, dull and pathetic) story altogether. Still, overwhelmed is the word for the day. Je suis accablé et suis humilié.

Oops- there I go again.

But I do feel the need to thank you for keeping me in the FoodBuzz Food Blog 2010 Competition. I actually feel I need to get down on my knees and thank you. Though that affectation I mentioned earlier makes me think that something more continental is in order. Like a kiss on both cheeks. So very French, n'est-ce pas?

But this is a food blog, right? So my thank you this week really needs to be an edible metaphor, don't ya think? I mean food is my oeuvre (sorry, I couldn't resist).

May I present the very French and very edible version of a kiss on both cheeks. It's a classic Parisian Pear Almond Tart. Merci beaucoup!

Sippity Sup Continues »
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