So I have been obsessed with roasting
fennel lately, because fennel is the most delicious and interesting vegetable.
My favourite recipe so far has been this
one, roasted pear and fennel, with bourbon and blue cheese. I think it’s pretty
on-trend, what with people loving bourbon these days, and it’s got some great
bold flavours.
Plus, you can serve it in a really pretty
and minimalist way, which I like too. You could also serve it as a warm salad and
have the cheese melt a little! You can place it on a lovely bed of arugula, or you can skip the greens and just do the pear and fennel. Your options here are endless.
Start by slicing your pear and fennel bulb
lengthwise into nicely sized wedges. Obviously, you are going to de-seed your pear by scooping out the
middle bit. Place these slices on a baking sheet with olive oil, cinnamon,
nutmeg, salt, pepper and a splash of bourbon. Get them all nicely coated and
pop them into a preheated oven for 20 minutes (375°) or until golden. Yum!
Now your house smells amazing, so you may
as well slice up that cheese. I strongly recommend some form of blue cheese for
this, but depending on the one you use, you may crumble it rather than slice
it. I used an amazing blue chèvre, with an ash rind, so that was quite special.
Let’s do a quickie vinaigrette to go with
the salad. Start with a few splashes of olive oil, with a kick of a great
balsamic and maybe a little extra splash of the hooch! (This is a small splash,
not a shot. Don’t get dramatic.) Finish with salt and pepper, then whisk.
Now, layer your salad in an attractive way
and serve with a drizzle of your bourbon vinaigrette. Those extra pieces of
pear and fennel happen to refrigerate nicely for tomorrow’s salad too! But you
may want to take it easy on the hooch vinaigrette if you work in an office,
lest anyone get any kind of notions about you.
Enjoy!
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