10 Responses to “Gorgonzola and Fresh Greens with Strawberry Balsamic”

1. Your salad sounds sooo delish! I love walnuts and pears w/gorgonzola in a salad, and also, my new found favorite — cooked, sliced beets!

   Okay, now I’m hungry. Hmm. I wonder what’s in the fridge?

   Kate Collins

   by Kate Collins on December 3rd, 2007 at 4:13 pm
   
   

2. Yummy salad. Right up my alley, Michele. And of course, champagne and Chambord are guaranteed to get a smile from me. Cheers!

   by Maggie on December 3rd, 2007 at 9:14 pm
   
   

3. Michele,

   Sounds yummy. I knew I recognized that recipe. Got anything that goes with Taylor Port wine? And don’t say cheese and crackers. Remind me to tell you about my experience with King’s Port some time.

   While we’re on the subject of salads now, I’ll have to find out my mom’s recipe for macaroni salad. She makes it different than anyone else. Seriously…I’ve never heard of anyone making it like her. I know what she puts in it, but I need to find out if she actually measures anything for this recipe or just throws it together like the appetizers I posted.

   by Traci on December 4th, 2007 at 2:19 am
   
   

4. Hi Tracy,

   okay Port is hard to pair. My first and only impulse (sorry) is stilton cheese, pears, a handful of your favorite nuts, some prosciuotto and well you have a pretty tasty dinner. Granted no greens, but fix the salad and viola! Here is my rule of thumb for wine pairings–does it taste good to you? It’s that simple.

   Cheers,
   Michele

   by Michele on December 4th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
   
   

5. I’m always on the prowl for new salads — thanks, Michele!

   by Diana on December 4th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
   
   

6. Hi Michele! LOL about your first impulse! Hmm….cheese, pears, a handful of your favorite nuts, some prosciuotto. Now that is an interesting combination I never would’ve come up with…Never thought of pairing pears with anything but, well, fruit. I’ll have to try it…if I can find Stilton Cheese here. Honestly, around here it’s American, cheddar, Swiss, and Blue….Heck, I’m still dying to try Kreme Kaese, but every time I buy the set of cheese bars from The Swiss Colony, I get two bars of cheddar and no Kreme Kaese. You would’ve laughed a couple of years ago…They kept sending me replacement orders and still no Kreme Kaese. After the third, they offered again…I screamed. “NO NO NO! No more cheese!” And yet they STILL have it on their website…I just checked.

   Oh, the King’s Port story. Mom went for my Taylor Port. They were completely out. So the clerk told mom to buy King’s Port. He said it tasstes exactly the same as Taylor Port. Well, his taste buds must be dead because it didn’t taste anything like Taylor Port. As a matter of fact, it tasted like Turpentine.

   Darn, forgot about the macaroni salad…I got my new cell phone today and was too busy with that to think about much else. Will have to ask mom tomorrow.

   by Traci on December 5th, 2007 at 1:17 am
   
   

7. Oh yum, your salad sounds terrific, Michele! I have all the ingredients on hand but Gorgonzola, so we’ll give it a try soon. BTW, put me on the list of fans of Champagne & Chambord too! (aka The C&C Gals):)

   Michele, this weekend I’m making your Pork Tenderloin with Salsa Verde from MURDER UNCORKED. (Great book & recipes!) I’m serving the following salad to go with it, & since it’s pomegranate season, I’ll add some of those seeds for more flavor and color:

   MANGO, JICAMA & AVOCADO SALAD

   ¼ cup FRESH LIME JUICE
   2 Tbsp OLIVE OIL
   1 tsp SALT
   1¼ tsp freshly ground PEPPER
   2 ripe MANGOES, peeled, seeded and cut
   into ½ inch dice
   1 JICAMA (about 1 pound) skinned and cut
   into ½ inch dice
   1 HAAS AVOCADO, ripe but firm
   ¼ cup CILANTRO LEAVES, coarsely chopped
   (or substitute flat leaf parsley)

   In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice,
   olive oil, salt & pepper and set aside.
   In a medium bowl, combine mango and jicama.
   Cut avocado in half; remove pit and skin.
   Cut into ½ inch cubes and add to mango and
   jicama. Add lime vinaigrette and toss well
   to combine. Add cilantro, adjust seasoning and toss again.

   NOTE: Also good with diced red onions.

   *******************************************

   Since I seem to be doing everything in threes lately, here are 2 more of our favorite winter salads:

   APPLE, PEAR & CHEDDAR SALAD WITH PECANS

   1 cup apple juice
   2 tablespoons cider vinegar
   1 teaspoon extravirgin olive oil
   1/2 teaspoon salt
   1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
   10 cup gourmet salad greens (about 10 ounces)
   1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
   1 medium McIntosh apple, cored and cut into 18 wedges
   1 medium Bartlett pear, cored and cut into 18 wedges
   1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
   3 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted

   Place apple juice in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to about 3 tablespoons (about 10 minutes). Combine reduced apple juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk.

   Combine greens, grapes, apple, and pear in a large bowl. Drizzle with apple juice mixture; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts. Yields: 4-6 servings.

   *******************************************
   POMEGRANATE, ORANGE & KIWI SALAD

   This colorful salad combines sweet seasonal fruit with spicy vinaigrette. Serve it with or without salad greens.

   1-1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
   1/4 teaspoon salt
   1/8 teaspoon black pepper
   1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
   1/4 cup olive oil
   1-1/2 quarts mixed salad greens
   (optional)
   2 oranges*, peeled and sliced
   4 kiwis, peeled and sliced
   1 medium pomegranate, seeded (about 3/4 cup)

   To make dressing, combine vinegar and next three ingredients; whisk in oil.
   Toss greens with 2-1/2 tablespoons dressing; arrange on a serving platter.
   Alternating, arrange orange slices and kiwi slices over greens. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Sprinkle with
   pomegranate seeds.
   Makes 6 servings.
   *NOTE: When clementines are available, substitute 2-3 peeled & sectioned ones for 1 of the oranges.

   by Lynn in TX on December 5th, 2007 at 2:32 am
   
   

8. Oh my your salad is making my mouth water! This is one of my favorite things to eat! I absolutely love salads! All kinds! One of my favorites is a broccoli salad that I am sure everyone has tried. It is with raisens, cooked bacon, thinly sliced red onions, broccoli chopped up small, baby spinach leaves, a 1/2c. mayonnaise, 1/2c. sour cream, with 2T. sugar, whipped until smooth. Mix all ingredients until coated with dressing. This is delish!

   I also make a wicked ceasar salad that my husband absolutely loves!

   I just break up a bunch of freshly washed romaine, green leaf, and head lettuce into a bowl. I like head lettuce because it is super crunchy!

   I add some homemade croutons, mince a garlic clove or two into the bowl with my handy, dandy garlic clove press. Depending on how much garlic you like.

   I shred some real parmesan into the bowl on top of the salad with my salad shooter or a hand held shredder that I got from Pampered Chef.

   I grind some black pepper into the salad from my pepper mill. That is the best kind of black pepper to use.

   I then add some good ranch salad dressing on the salad but not to much like Hidden Valley or Paul Newmans. You don’t want to drown the salad so maybe just a 1/4 to 1/2c. depending how big the salad is.

   Then toss salad until evenly coated and serve immediately.
   This is great with a glass of wine, some grapes and cheese cubes, with toasted garlic bread made from the other half of the french bread I turned into homemade croutons. Yum, yum!

   I make my own croutons by buying some french bread. Cutting it into cubes and frying it in olive oil with a little butter and add some seasonings. Fry the bread until nice and golden brown. I let them cool and let them dry. I store croutons in a tight tupperware container.

   by Michele L. on December 7th, 2007 at 1:22 am
   
   

9. Michele, I forgot to tell you something. You aren’t the only one who has the “Does it taste good to you?” rule. I’m the only person I know who will order red wine with fish. *ducking* Hey, I can’t help it if I don’t like white wine.

   by Traci on December 7th, 2007 at 1:41 am
   
   

10. All these salads sound so good! Puts the Caesar salad-in-a-bag I buy to shame! I think I’ll be trying some new recipes!

    by Heather on December 7th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
    
    

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website