Winter Pear & Blue Cheese Salad

This is a delicious and elegant salad to serve before, during or even after dinner! It can be made in just a few minutes. It’s important to use perfectly ripe pears which you can test for by pressing gently on the top of the pear near its stem. It should give and be soft. But don’t wait so long for the pears to over ripen and develop bruises, because it’s nice when they hold their shape well when cut. I like Bartlett pears, but certainly use what you have on hand at this time of year; they are all tasty. When you make a recipe like this with so few ingredients it’s important to make sure they are all excellent quality. Fresh lemon juice is imperative (frankly that goes for all recipes)! Last but certainly not least, this recipe was inspired by my new bottle of freshly milled Extra Virgin Olio Nuovo (“new oil”), it’s extremely delicious. Serve with some crusty toasted French bread on the side, you’ll enjoy sopping up the dressing with it!