Arugula Salad with Port-Cooked Pears and Roquefort Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 peeled Bartlett pears, cored and quartered
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup port or other sweet red wine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon walnut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 cups trimmed arugula (about 8 ounces)
• 2 cups (1/2-inch) slices Belgian endive (about 1/2 pound)
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled Roquefort or other blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Arrange pears in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; drizzle with port. Sprinkle evenly with sugar. Cover and bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until pears are almost tender. Cool completely; reserve 1 tablespoon liquid from pan. Thinly slice pears; set aside. Combine reserved 1 tablespoon liquid, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk.
3. Combine sliced pears, arugula, and endive in a large bowl. Drizzle vinegar mixture over arugula mixture; toss gently to coat. Arrange about 1 1/3 cups salad on each of 8 plates. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese and 3/4 teaspoon nuts.