Recipe of the Week – Roasted Seckel Pears with Goat Cheese
October 12, 2009
(From the Appetizer Collection at emealsforyou.com)
In line with a recent post Why We Cook – A Rant I wanted to add surprise to the equation. Sometimes it’s fun to add something to the meal that is unexpected, something that appears to be one thing and winds up being a totally unexpected treat. One night in New Jersey I made seckel pears. These are small pears that are only available in the early fall, roasted with goat cheese, black pepper and honey as an appetizer for a group of macho cops, EMT’s and RN’s. The unexpected taste of the tart pears with the smooth goat cheese and sweet honey was a huge hit. The fresh cracked pepper added to the visual. These are similar to the full size pears I make for dessert but the small size makes them ideal as a quick and unexpected appetizer.
Another visual trick is my watermelon salad. Served in a large bowl with other various salads on a buffet, the guest assume that it is a tomato salad. Watching the look on their faces as they popped the watermelon into their mouths was very satisfying. The combination of crisp sweet watermelon with the salty feta cheese, pinenuts and red onion makes a wonderful surprise addition to any meal. Now that watermelon is available all year long; this is not just a summer treat. Once the word got around about the watermelon salad it completely disappeared in a matter of minutes.
So, mix it up a little, try something different and surprise your guest.
Roasted Seckel Pears with Goat Cheese
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 8 |
| Category: | Appetizer |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 16 | medium | seckel pears |
| 3 | oz | cheese, goat |
| 2 | Tb | honey |
| 0.5 | tsp | pepper, fresh ground |
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut pears in half, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Place cut side down on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place in oven for 6 -8 minutes, until the pears are tender. Remove to a serving platter, cut side up, spoon a dollop of goat cheese in the center, dust with fresh cracked black pepper and drizzle with honey.
Entry Filed under: Appetizer, Salad. Tags: feta cheese, goat cheese, honey, pine nuts, raosted pears, seckel pears, small pears, surprise appetizer, surprise salad, watermelon, watermelon salad.
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