Gobble, Gobble: Chef Bruno Davaillon’s Endive and Radicchio Salad

<p class=”MsoNormal”>(Ed. Note: Bruno sent this recipe but didn’t remember to include a personal note. But since he’s pretty talented, we decided that, at least this Thanksgiving, we’d let his food speak for itself. Thanks to Steve Doyle for doing the leg work.)

Endive and Radicchio Salad with caramelized pear, walnut/ice wine vinegar dressing, and blue cheese fritters.

serves four

Ingredients:

3 Comice pears

3 endives

2 radicchio lettuces

3 ounces Roquefort style blue cheese

1 tablespoon allspice

5 ounces butter, softened

2 eggs

3 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons Panko style bread crumbs

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 ounces walnuts, chopped

1 shallot, minced

4 tablespoons ice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Honey

2 tablespoons walnut oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Roasted Pear

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the pears, cut them in half and de-seed. Reserve one pear to finish salad. Please the remaining two pears cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle pears with olive oil, honey, allspice and top with a small pat of butter. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Set aside

Blue Cheese Fritter

Combine cheese and butter in mixing bowl until soft and fully incorporated. Add Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Form into small balls and refrigerate for 15 minutes until firm. Once firm, roll them between your palms to obtain a perfectly round shape. Dredge balls in flour, then beaten egg, then bread crumbs. Reserve in refrigerator until ready to fry in 375 degree F oil until golden brown.

Walnut Dressing

Toast walnuts in sauté pan for five minutes. Allow to cool and chop. In a separate bowl, combine honey and ice wine vinegar and mix well. Add minced shallot, walnut oil and chopped walnuts and salt and pepper to taste.

Salad Assembly

Cut radicchio in half and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook on hot grill for a couple of minutes on each side. Slice washed and dried endive into long strips.

To assemble the salad, lay roasted radicchio on large plate. Season endive with walnut dressing and arrange around the radicchio. Top with roasted pear and freshly fried fritters. Finish with raw pear shavings.

Bruno Davaillon is the executive chef of the Mansion on Turtle Creek.