Dine: Winter Pear Bites

dine

If you are looking for a last minute holiday dessert recipe, I highly recommend this pear bite recipe by Sweet Potato Chronicles. I used it as a dessert recipe because I'm not much of a traditional dessert person and prefer cheese and fruit for an after dinner bite but this recipe would be an excellent appetizer as well.

Winter Pear Bites
adapted from Sweet Potato Chronicles

Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
3 pears
1 small chevre cheese log
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons sugar

Cut the pear to get as many slices as possible but still keep them substantial. Spread the chevre along the larger part of the slice, keeping the thinner side blank for easy pick up. Sprinkle chopped pistachios and dried cranberries on the cheese in whatever amount desired.

We decided to add a little extra sweetness to the treats and made a honey balsamic reduction to trickle on top. To make the reduction, boil balsamic vinegar, sugar, and honey. Once it has started to boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer and continue until it becomes a syrup. Drizzle along prepared pear slices. And then enjoy!

As a side note, I didn't think that the dried cranberries added much to the dish besides adding a little red to the holiday color scheme.

Review: Friendsgiving 2012

review

We are still getting remarkably warm weather in Minnesota and I am attributing it to the fact that I took out my parka last week. Because weather likes to do the opposite of what I prepare for. But it made for a great weekend to have our group's Second Annual Friendsgiving on Saturday night. Everyone made two dishes from scratch to bring and in true Minnesota form every contribution was in a hotdish pan.

I love how Minnesotans own the term "hotdish" and the rest of the world can keep their "casseroles".

While the manfriend made his go-to layered cheesy potato recipe, I decided to try and make something using wild rice. I have a mild obsession with wild rice because I love the texture, it's not really utilized as a side dish enough, and it doesn't get much more Minnesotan than mahnomen. I found a recipe for wild rice salad and made a variation of it listed below. I think it went over okay and the manfriend even said this may have to be my new go-to recipe for potlucks... since usually my go-to is pickle wraps. Or as I lovingly like to call them, Nordic Sushi.

Lessons learned from Friendsgiving include making sure to read this Apartment Therapy post on how to set a Thanksgiving buffet and to never ever play divorce games (Taboo and Catchphrase) with people you still want to be friends with, especially your significant other.

Wild Rice Salad
adapted from the LA Times 

Total time: 1 hour
Servings: 4-6

1 cup wild rice

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2/3 cup chopped pecan, almond, cashew mix

2 tablespoons julienned red onion (the longer pieces add more color to the dish)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 clove crushed garlic

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup olive oil

Freshly ground salt and pepper

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the wild rice to the boiling water and reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the rice is tender (around 45 minutes) or to your liking. Drain the wild rice if there is any water left.

Make the dressing while the rice is cooking by mixing the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, and sugar in a bowl. Add in the olive oil slowly while quickly stirring the mixture. Salt and pepper to your liking.

Once the rice is done cooking (and potentially drained), add the cranberries, nut mix, red onion, and dressing to the wild rice while it is still hot so the rice takes in the flavors.

Serve chilled but tastes really good while still hot as well.

featured image// Martha Stewart