Thursday, November 18, 2010

Grilled Pears with Burrata, Speck and Grilled Radicchio

I was inspired by Gjelina's grilled pear and grilled peach salad to create my own at home tonight.  It's quite simple to make and really delicious too.  It's a wonderful winter salad full of contrasts: the warm sweet juicy slightly smoky pear, with the salty smoky speck (smoked proscuitto), with bitter warm grilled radicchio, with the cool creamy and rich burrata and some fresh greens, tied together with a little acidity from the balsamic vinegar and good olive oil.  I learned some lessons, ie, slice the pear first before grilling, as opposed to just grilling the halves.  Recipe below is adapted for the changes I would make:

Grilled Pear with Burrata, Speck and Grilled Radicchio Recipe:
  • Halve, core with a melon baller and slice 1 large Bartlett pears (about 1 inch thick, not too thin or small), brush with a little oil
  • Wash a handful of greens: I would have preferred arugula and baby romaine lettuce, but in this case I some spinach and butter lettuce
  • Peel and wash 4-5 leaves of radicchio, sprinkle with a little oil
  • Brush a grill pan with some oil and heat it over medium high heat
  • Place the pear slices on the pan for 2-3 minutes until they get nice grill marks
  • Flip the pears and grill the other side for another 2-3 minutes
  • For the last 1-2 minutes that the pears are cooking, put the radicchio on the grill plan, flipping once
  • Remove the pears and radicchio and let cool a bit.  Slice the radicchio into 1 cm strips and the pear slices in half horizontally
  • Mix together about 1 TB of balsamic vinegar, 1/2 TB of olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper
  • Assemble the plate: first the mixed fresh greens, then the arugula and pears, then scoop some burrata and top with a few strips of speck.  I drizzle a little vinaigrette on every layer, particularly with the mixed greens.  It doesn't need too much dressing; the natural flavors of every ingredient really makes the dish
  • Dish is ready to be served: it's best to try a little of everything in one bite: the pear, burrata, speck, radicchio and fresh greens
Gjelina's versions: prettier, but much skimpier. I prefer the generosity of my version, plus it tastes about the same.

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