How do you guys feel about having salad at Thanksgiving? My family is divided on the subject. My Dad and Aunt firmly believe there is no room for a salad at the Thanksgiving table. I guess they don’t want to waste any stomach space on greens. But others in my family have the exact opposite opinion. Me included. I really like to have something crunchy and fresh to break-up all the heaviness of the meal.
Can I just say how stinking adorable frisee is? I love all the fluffy, frilly strands poking out of the bowl. It looks festive to me. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just a weirdo who thinks vegetables are cute. Don’t judge me.
Frisee tends to be on the bitter side of the spectrum. But that’s what makes it the perfect resting place for some slightly sweetened poached pears. To give the pears a cozy, winter feel I poached them in mixture of maple syrup, brandy, cardamom and vanilla. I also used a bit of that poaching liquid in the salad dressing to carry those wonderful flavors all throughout the salad. And in my opinion, pears need blue cheese and walnuts, both of which I added to this salad.
Can I just say how stinking adorable frisee is? I love all the fluffy, frilly strands poking out of the bowl. It looks festive to me. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just a weirdo who thinks vegetables are cute. Don’t judge me.
Frisee tends to be on the bitter side of the spectrum. But that’s what makes it the perfect resting place for some slightly sweetened poached pears. To give the pears a cozy, winter feel I poached them in mixture of maple syrup, brandy, cardamom and vanilla. I also used a bit of that poaching liquid in the salad dressing to carry those wonderful flavors all throughout the salad. And in my opinion, pears need blue cheese and walnuts, both of which I added to this salad.
Ingredients
- For the Poached Pears
- 2 firm pears, peeled, halved and cored (I recommend Bosc pears)
- 3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon brandy
- 1/2 fresh vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
- For the Salad
- 3 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon reserved poaching liquid
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 2 small heads frisee
- 1 cup walnuts, toasted
- 1 cup blue cheese, crumbled
- Special Equipment
- SousVide Supreme
- SousVide Vacuum Sealer and cooking pouches
Instructions
- Poach the pears. Fill your SousVide Supreme with water and pre-heat it to 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius).
- Place the pear halves and the cardamom pods in a large cooking pouch. In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup, brandy, and vanilla bean seeds. Pour this mixture over the pears in the cooking pouch. Vacuum seal the pouch, being careful not to suck the liquid up into the vacuum sealer. Alternatively, you can use a zip-closure bag and use the displacement method to remove as much air from the bag as possible before sealing it closed.
- Submerge the cooking pouch in your pre-heated SousVide Supreme. Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes. Carefully remove the cooking pouch from the SousVide Supreme. The pears should be soft, yet still retain a little bit of resistance. Remove the pears from the cooking pouch and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the poaching liquid.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, reserved poaching liquid, salt and pepper.
- Assemble the salads. Divide the frisee evenly among 4 bowls. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of dressing over the frisee. Top with 1/4 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles and a poached pear half. Serve immediately.
Notes
1. If you are going to be serving this at Thanksgiving, I recommend going with a slightly smaller serving size. You can cut the pears into quarters, dividing the salad up into 8 plates.
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