The colors of Christmas.
There is nothing better than getting together with a bunch of friends and having dinner. Recently during such a dinner I made my Chicken in Phyllo (see index) which I have been making about 35 years. It’s an impressive dish but doesn’t take long to make and the results are beautiful. Layers of phyllo stuffed with chicken, celery, onion and a little nutmeg all rolled up into a bundle and covered with a Lemon Veloute Sauce is the perfect entree for your friends. I did practically everything a couple of days early so day of my party I just lounged around and watched a bunch of Hallmark Christmas movies.
I served a cranberry rice pilaf with a few green peas thrown in for color and this Roasted Pear and Raspberry Salad rounded out the meal. I need to backtrack and say the party started with my Poinsettia Champagne cocktail and Cheese Soufflé’s Puffs (I’ve been making these for over 30 years.)
Hope you all have a very nice holiday season and ready for the New Year and lots of recipes to come.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Who doesn’t like popcorn? And, who doesn’t like ice cream? So why not marry the two and try my Popcorn Ice Cream.
Add butter, honey and little pieces of bay leaf to the pears.
Roast the pears until they start to brown then cool and slice for the salad.
You can substitute the blue cheese for whatever is your favorite.
Mix up your homemade poppy seed dressing or just buy your favorite brand.
I sliced up the small heads of romaine and added in some arugula to spice it up a bit.
Chicken in phyllo with lemon velour sauce in the background along with some cranberry rice pilaf.
Roasted Pear and Raspberry Salad
Ingredients
- 6 c. romaine chopped
- 2-3 cups arugula
- 1 carton fresh raspberries
- 3 pears roasted (see recipe below) or serve raw
- butter honey and thyme for baking pears
- 1/2 c. pistachios
- 1/2 crumbled blue cheese or other cheese
- Poppy Seed Dressing:
- 2/3 c. mayonnaise
- 1/2 c. milk
- 5 Tbsp. sugar
- 8 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 4 tsp. poppyseeds
Instructions
- To make the dressing whisk together the mayonnaise, milk, sugar, vinegar and poppyseeds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To roast the pears: Peel, cut in half and core the pears. Put a teaspoon of butter into each hallowed out part of the pears, sprinkle with thyme and drizzle with honey. I added pieces of bay leaves on top. Bake in 400° oven for one hour. When cool enough to handle cut into thin slices or cubes.
- For salad: In large bowl add the romaine and arugula, raspberries, pears, pistachios and blue cheese. Toss lightly. Add the poppyseed dressing and carefully toss to coat all the ingredients. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Note: Dried cranberries would be a great substitute for the raspberries and you can use the pears fresh without roasting.
Serves 10
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