Fig and Blue Cheese Pizza

This is pretty rich and decadent. Like wearing a fur bikini on a yacht in St Tropez, while drinking champagne and having peeled grapes fed to you. BUT a lot cheaper and tastier!

Fresh figs are best but dried will definitely be a great substitute. I like to serve these more as an appetizer than a main. Cut into squares and devour!

10 Fresh figs, cut and quartered
4-6 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup of blue cheese or gorgonzola
1/2 cup pecans

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
Ground pepper to taste
OPTIONAL: Balsamic Reduction

Pizza dough (your favorite recipe or purchased -- but make sure it is the dough. Not that premade shell stuff!)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Servings: 15 as an an appetizer

Roll out pizza dough into a 9 x 14 inch rectangle (approximately).
Spread honey evenly on pizza dough. Arrange figs in 4 even lines on rolled out pizza dough. Top with blue cheese, pecans, rosemary and pepper. Cook for 20 minute or until crust is set.
Remove, let cool, and drizzle with balsamic reduction, if using. Cut into 2x2 inch squares.

Before Oven

After Oven

Recipe: Blue Cheese Stuffed Celery & Walnuts

Who did not love celery with cream cheese as a kid? Well, these are the grown-up version. Super easy and great if you have a last minute party or shindig to attend. I toasted some walnuts and sprinkled them on top but if you aren't a nut fan then you can omit.

10 celery stalks cut in half (total 20)
1/3 cup of blue cheese
2/3 cup of light or regular cream cheese
¼ cup of toasted walnuts (or 10 whole)

Yield: 20 stuffed celery halves

In a food processor blend blue cheese and cream cheese until blended.
HINT: You might want to add a teaspoon of milk to soften up the mixture.
Take a knife and spread into celery halves. Top each celery with a couple of walnuts.

Recipe: Roasted Beets, Caramelized Onions & Blue Cheese

I wanted to caramelize some onions for our beet salad but alas no sugar at the cabin. What to do? Improvise. I present to you...Smuckers Apricot Jam.

And ya know what? It worked! We had picked up some deeeelicous Poplar Grove Tiger Blue cheese (just an FYI--I never endorse anything I don't love! And I while I wish I was paid to eat or try food, I am not!) and chowed it down with the Poplar Grove Syrah 2005...mmm....





4 medium beets
2 red onions sliced into 1/4 inch thick rings
2 tablespoons apricot jam or brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup blue cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Servings: 4

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Wrap beets (un-peeled) in aluminum foil and bake for approximately 75 minutes or until you can stick a knife through without resistance. Set aside.

Heat butter in a medium size saucepan on medium heat. Add onions. Cook, adding balsamic every 5 minutes to deglaze pan. After about 10 minutes add the jam. Total cooking time should be 20-25 minutes or until softened and thoroughly cooked.

Peel beets and slice them into 1/4 inch rounds. Place on plate and top with onions and 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe: Hearts of palm, avocado, celery & blue cheese salad

Hearts of palm are huge in Argentina. And I ate bucketloads of them when I was there. According to Wikipedia they used to be a delicacy back when they were harvested from wild palms. This has now changed with cultivation and now their namesake salad "Millionaire Salad" seems more like "Middle Class Salad" with fois gras, caviar and truffles bringing their posh asses to restaurant menus everywhere. A can at your local grocer should cost around 3 bucks. Their texture and taste is like artichoke meets asparagus. In Argentina they are often served with their version of Thousand Island dressing (ie: ketchup and mayo)
However I had one that made Thousand Island stay on the island. It was olive oil, walnuts, blue cheese, and celery. Drizzled with olive oil. Yeah baby. This is my version.

1 can hearts of palm (14oz, approx. 4 hearts)
1 1/2 cup diced celery (approx. 2 to 3 stalks)
1 diced avocado
3/4 cup blue cheese
1/2 cup toasted or caramelized walnuts
1 head butter lettuce

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine or white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon shallot minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Serves 8

Whisk vinegar, mustard, honey and oil in a bowl. Add shallots to dressing.
In a large bowl take the butter lettuce leaves and add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of dressing to the salad. Using your hands (clean of course!) lightly massage the leaves with the dressing.
In a medium bowl combine celery and diced hearts of palm and avocado with 1/3 cup dressing and toss. You can either combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and add the blue cheese and walnuts to the top or I prefer to plate individually. So take one to two leaves and place on a plate and top with approx. 1 cup of the celery mixture inside the butter lettuce cup. Top with blue cheese and walnuts. Salt and pepper to taste. This is a serious FLAVOUR BURST.