Lettuce with Pan-Roasted Pears

 

4 1 small or ½ large head red-tipped lettuce

4 scallions (white and green parts), chopped

4 ounces firm, mild blue cheese, chopped or crumbled (¾ cup)

2 T. butter

4 T. walnut oil or sunflower oil

4 medium-size ripe but slightly firm pears, peeled, cored, and quartered lengthwise

2 T. fresh lemon juice (½ regular lemon or 1 Meyer lemon)

Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

This simple salad is fine with raw pears but pan-roasting the pears in butter adds luxurious flavor. It goes well with any hearty fall soup. Rinse and dry the lettuce leaves and tear them into large pieces. Distribute the lettuce over four salad plates or a single platter. Sprinkle the scallions and the blue cheese over the lettuce. 2. Melt the butter in 2 T. of the oil in a medium-large skillet over medium heat until the butter’s foam subsides, 2 minutes.  Add the pear quarters and sauté them on both flat sides until golden brown, about 20 minutes in all. Remove the skillet from the heat.  Place the roasted pear quarters on top of the lettuce, leaving the oil in the skillet.  Just before serving, add the remaining 2 T. oil and the lemon juice to the oil in the skillet. Simmer over medium heat, stirring with a spatula, for no more than a minute, scraping the bottom of the skillet to incorporate any brown bits. Pour this evenly over the salad. (Parts of the greens may wilt just slightly.) Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.