Pears, blue cheese pair nicely in yummy sandwich

  • By Joe Gray Chicago Tribune
  • Thursday, October 31, 2013 10:13pm
  • Life

Fall makes me think of pears, and pears make me think of that oft-seen salad in which the fruit is paired with walnuts and chunks of blue cheese over lettuce.

It’s popular in restaurants for a reason. The sweet and juicy pears play off the salty rich cheese, while the walnuts add texture and their nutty rich flavor.

The combination seemed ripe for tinkering. What if I used radicchio instead of the typical mixed greens. And could the blue cheese be melted on croutons?

And — that kind of musing led nowhere. It was merely the same salad with a few swap-outs.

But wait. What if the pears and cheese go into a grilled sandwich? And use Asian pears, for their crisp flesh and floral notes. Now I was interested, and it led to this.

If you cannot find pepper jelly, experiment with another preserve for a bit of sweetness, like apricot or fig.

If the radicchio makes the slaw too bitter, add a little honey or fresh orange juice to the dressing.

Grilled pear and blue cheese sandwich with slaw

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 head radicchio, cored, sliced in thin ribbons
  • 1 small bulb fennel, cored, julienned
  • 1/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted
  • 4 slices rustic bread
  • 2 ounces blue cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 medium Asian pear, cored, thinly sliced
  • 1-2 tablespoons jarred pepper jelly

Whisk 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a small bowl. Spoon half the vinaigrette over the radicchio and fennel in a bowl; toss. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss again; add more dressing, if needed. Top with the walnut pieces.

Spread the blue cheese over one side of 2 slices of bread, gently mushing into the bread so cheese doesn’t fall off while cooking. Layer the pear slices on top. Spread pepper jelly over one side of the other 2 slices of bread. Sandwich the pepper jelly slices over the pear and cheese slices. Spread the tops and bottoms of the sandwiches with a little olive oil.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. When hot, add the sandwiches; cook, turning once, until golden brown and the cheese melts. Serve with the slaw alongside.

Note: Toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Makes 2 servings. Per serving: 744 calories, 42 g fat, 11 g saturated fat, 27 mg cholesterol, 79 g carbohydrates, 17 g protein, 1,350 mg sodium, 10 g fiber.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.