Sunday Brunch: Pear, Basil, and Pecorino Toscano Salad
In early fall I really like serving salads for brunch with some crusty bread, so I was immediately attracted to this pear salad I read about in Olives & Oranges, the Sara Jenkins book we recently featured on Cook the Book. It's pear season in many parts of the country, so listen up, locavores. Note: If finding Pecorino Romano is difficult for you, Jenkins and her co-author, Mindy Fox, say an aged cheddar or any other cheese that will keep its shape in a salad will do.
Pear, Basil, and Pecorino Toscano Salad
- serves 4 -
Ingredients
12 ounces Pecorino Toscano or aged cheddar cheese
4 ripe Bosc pears, cored and cut into eighths
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon mild white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
Procedure
1. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, break cheese into irregular chunks 1/2-inch in size.
2. Place cheese, pear slices, basil leaves, oil, vinegar, and salt in a large bowl and toss to combine. Season with pepper and more salt if needed. Serve at once.
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1 Comment:
This sound really good to us. Anyone else try it?
Main concern always with pears is ripeness - it's not easy with some pears - they never seem to ripen or get full flavor. i'd love to hit our local Farmer's Market this weekend for pears (and basil if there's any left). this is a nice variation and a way to get me to eat more fruit, which we both should do! (though I do think I can d w/out s&p which every chef in the world seems to believe belongs on every dish. I don't. Every time I watch a cooking show and someone adds salt to something, I cringe. It sure seems unnecessary in lots of things. And it doesn't "bring out the flavor" to me - it just adds saltiness to something that doesn't need it. (Am I alone in this belief?)
Fluffnik at 3:08PM on 09/29/08