Grilled pear and Roquefort cheese salad

Have you ever tried making warm salad for your lunch or dinner? As the weather cools down, I always include some grilled fruits into my salad to turn crisp salad leaves into winter comfort food. Grilled pears, included into my recipe below, always add nice accent to salads and, together with some crumbled Roquefort and Prosciutto ham, produce a perfect balance of flavors. 

If you don’t have Prosciutto, that’s fine.  All you need to accompany the dish is some slices of grilled bread and a glass of wine. 

Serves: 4

Preparing time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 firm pears, cut into quarters
• 4 handfuls arugula leaves
• 1/2 cup crumbled Roquefort or other blue cheese
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Some slices Prosciutto ham (optional)

1. Heat your grill pan.
2. In the meanwhile, brush pears with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with a little of salt and pepper. 
3. Grill those pears over medium heat for few minutes on each side. You should notice that they start to brown lightly and begin to soften.
4. For the dressing, heat balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat.
5. Add brown sugar and stir until it caramelizes and gets darker color.
6. Wait for 1-2 minutes until your mixture cools down and whisk in olive oil with salt and pepper, if needed.
7. Place your arugula in a large bowl and toss the leaves with the dressing.
8. Divide the greens into 4 portions and top with crumbled cheese, 3 or 4 grilled pear quaters and Prosciutto ham. Serve immediately.