Recipe

Hosted By
Tracy & Russ

		Romaine with Maytag Blue, Toasted Chile Pecans, and Sliced Pear
		Serving Size - 6
		Prepared By - Mary
		Recipe Rating	Printer Friendly Recipe

For the Maytag Blue Dressing

4 heads romaine lettuce

1/4 Lb maytag blue cheese (1/2 cup crumbled)

1/2 Cup sour cream

1/2 Cup buttermilk

1/2 Cup half and half

2 OZ soft goat cheese (1/4 cup crumbled)

1 orange, juiced

1 tablespoon minced, stemmed fresh mint leaves

2 teaspoon minced, stemmed fresh basil leaves

1/2 Shallot, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 Pinch ground pepper

For the Toasted Chile Pecans

1 Cup pecan halves

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoon kahlüa liqueur

3 teaspoon chimayo chile powder

2 teaspoon sugar

2 ripe but firm Bartlett pears, cored and sliced lengthwise

4 lemons, halfed and seeded

Use only the hearts of the romaine lettuces; reserve the outer leaves for another purpose. Separate, wash, and dry the lettuce leaves, then wrap in a cloth towel or paper towel and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Keep the leaves whole, to be eaten with a fork and knife or with the fingertips. To prepare the dressing, in a salad bowl combine all the ingredients including black pepper to taste and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Cover and refrigerate. Preheat an oven to 300° F To prepare the pecans, in a bowl toss the nuts with the oil and Kahlua liqueur until evenly coated. Then add the chile powder and sugar and toss again. Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and place in the oven, stirring frequently, until toasted, about 25 minutes. Do not allow them to burn. Set aside to cool. To assemble the salad, add the romaine leaves to the dressing and toss until every leaf is well coated. Place on individual plates and sprinkle the pecans over the leaves. Fan the pear slices out atop the romaine leaves. Grind black pepper over all, and then squeeze half a lemon over each salad. Serve immediately.