Hi sybil. Here is a great pear and stilton recipe...but not a salad. Sorry....

Pears In Port With Stilton Whipped Cream

1/4 Cup crumbled Stilton or any good blue cheese
1/2 Cup plus 2 Tbsp whipping cream
4 ripe but firm pears
1/4 Cup butter
1/4 Cup sugar
1 Cup tawny port

With a fork mash cheese with 2TBSp of the whipping cream. Beat remaining cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cheese mixture into the whipped cream. The cream should be stiff with cheese pieces visable. Refregierate until ready to use.

Wash pears but do not peel. Slice in 4 slices lenghtwise. Melt the butter in a saucepan and saute pears until lightly browned on both sides.

Remove pears and keep warm.Add sugar and port to the pan. Stir and dissolve the sugar, losen the brown bits, bring to a boil. Reduce to a carmel sauce ( be careful the
port could ignite!)Return pears to the pan , coat with the carmel. Serve warm with a dollop of the stilton whipped cream!

Note: the pears can be made ahead and reheated in a 350 oven for 10 minutes, turning once.~

This salad is worth making just to have the candied walnuts.
You can substitute Stilton for the Blue cheese.

Ann

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Pear Salad with Spicy Candied Walnuts
=====================================
Salad Celia

Source: JS Online

1/2 cup candied spiced walnuts (see recipe)
1 cup Zinfandel dressing (see recipe)
1/2 cup high-quality blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 pound assorted baby greens (arugula, baby frisee, baby lolla rossa) or mesclun mix

Make candied spiced walnuts and Zinfandel dressing first. After the pears have been poached, cut them into quarters and slice each quarter into four slices. Fan the slices, forming a half moon, and place in the center of a plate. Toss the greens with enough of the dressing to coat the greens. Using too much will wilt the greens. Place the tossed greens in the crescent of the pear. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese and candied walnuts. Drizzle some of the remaining dressing around the perimeter of the greens.

This salad could also be presented family-style with all the ingredients simply tossed together in a bowl and served on a platter. Makes 8 servings.
Zinfandel dressing

1 1/2 cups Zinfandel (divided)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick, about 3 inches long
20 turns fresh ground pepper (about 1 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 Anjou pears, peeled and cored
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil

Combine 3/4 cup Zinfandel, sugar, cinnamon stick, pepper and salt in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer very slowly until the liquid thickens and becomes similar to a syrup. This will take 1 to 11/2 hours. If mixture reduces too fast, it will become bitter. Dressing can be done in advance to this point, then refrigerated.

When ready to complete, add pears and return syrup to a simmer. Spoon liquid over them or turn them frequently. Pears are done when they are soft and easily pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes.

Remove pears from the syrup and store in a covered container. Reserve the poaching liquid to finish the vinaigrette.

Combine remaining 3/4 cup wine and reserved Zinfandel syrup and bring to a simmer. Reduce mixture by two-thirds. You should end up with about one-third cup. It should be thick and syrupy. Transfer mixture into a stainless steel bowl and whisk in mustard and vinegar. While continuously whisking, very slowly stream in canola oil. If this step is done too fast, the oil will not emulsify. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate.
Spicy candied walnuts

1 cup sugar (divided)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup walnut halves
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a slow boil. Reduce to a simmer and add walnuts.

Mix spices and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium stainless steel bowl. When walnuts have begun to soften, after about 8 minutes, strain them out of the liquid and transfer them immediately to the spice mixture. Shake them around in the bowl until they have been completely covered with the mix. Sift them out of the spice blend, saving the spices for making this dish again or for another use. Transfer nuts to an airtight container, but do not refrigerate.

Servings: 4

Exported from Home Cookin 5.2b (www.mountain-software.com)