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Grilled pear, fig and endive flatbread with blue cheese

Grilled pear, fig and endive flatbread with blue cheese

Bread

Grill

I'm trying so hard to stay away (mostly) from desserts these days while I try to lose some weight going into the holidays. And while I'm not sure this dish is less calories in the final analysis, it made me feel just a little less guilty. And sometimes, that's enough for me. Pears, figs and Belgian Endive (California grown) are all tossed in a pear vinaigrette and then grilled until the pears just begin to give off a great caramelized flavor that marries really well with the crunch and flavor of the Endive. But if your grill is 6 feet under (snow) when you want to make this, it also works just fine on top of the stove. I recommend a grill pan, but a simple saute pan will work as well. With either type of pan, lightly oil the surface of the pan with a paper towel so that the fruit doesn't stick and heat it up before putting the fruit on it for a nice sear. For the cheese, I felt that blue cheese on its own overpowered the dish, and so I tried mixing it with goat cheese and ricotta cheese to get a nice flavor that's a little more complex but still sings out a clear blue cheese note. I used store-bought Na'an to save time, but it will be even better if you make your own flatbread for it! I served it at a recent wine tasting party and it was a hit. I hope you enjoy it too!