Have you met Miss “Holly Day Stress?”
She crashed our family Christmas party when my MIL was hospitalized right before Christmas…We spent worrisome days not even knowing if we were going to have our party until several hours before it began…so I was really scrambling at the last minute. Time to delegate!
Because many of our guests belong to the sippy cup set, the menu is all finger food
I wanted to offer the adults something a little more sophisticated than pigs in a blanket and with the help of a couple of my favorite bloggers, I came up with this refreshing canape, sort of a finger food salad bite~
Mary from Home is Where the Boat is recently posted Endive Boats with Pears, Blue Cheese and Walnuts here, and that was on my mind when I went shopping. My store didn’t have any endive so I substituted organic romaine heart leaves, which are the smaller leaves at the center
Mary suggested sauteing the pears with a little honey if they needed softening
My pears were ripe but I started thinking that if I cooked the pears and added the cheese to melt, it would help bind the mixture together
AND by cooking the pears, I wouldn’t have to worry about them turning brown
Apple and Pear Chutney was part of Chris’ recent post from the Cafe Sucre Farine, “Festive Fun and Easy Appetizers” here She brilliantly added orange marmalade with a little Sriracha to her chutney…
No marmalade in the fridge but I did have Fig Spread, so I used that to add interest and melted it with the cheese into the pears
I put the mixture aside to cool and then into the fridge for a few minutes to chill
Then filled each leaf with a generous spoonful of the pear mixture and garnished with more bleu cheese crumbles
Romaine Spoons with Pear Compote
Ingredients
- 20 baby romaine leaves [or use larger leaves and cut them into smaller pieces]
- 2 ripe pears
- 2 oz bleu cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup fig preserves
- 1 T butter
Instructions
- Slice pears, no need to peel, and then cut slices into small chunks. Melt butter in skillet and add pears. Cook and stir several minutes until pears soften and then add bleu cheese and fig preserves and stir until melted together. Remove pan from heat, cool slightly and then refrigerate briefly to congeal mixture.
- Use the small romaine pieces from the center of romaine or cut larger leaves into smaller pieces. Place a heaping Tablespoon of pear compote into romaine cups. Can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated on a plate until serving. Makes 20 romaine cups.
Notes
These went fast! A refreshing change from heavier holiday fare, it balanced out the other dishes
I made these several hours before the group arrived and kept them plated and ready in the refrigerator
These would be great any time of year! Thanks so much Mary and Chris for your holiday help!
Note: Leftover Pear Compote can be refrigerated for several days’ and used to top crostini. Broil or microwave for a warm version
I hope your holidays were non-stressful!
You can see a tutorial for Handpainted Needlepoint canvas here
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