Mint-arugula salad with goat cheese and poached pears
Mint-arugula salad with goat cheese and poached pears
Mint-arugula salad with goat cheese and poached pears
Mint-arugula salad with goat cheese and poached pears

Mint-arugula salad with goat cheese and poached pears

Mint-arugula salad with goat cheese and poached pears

The lush taste of mint inspired Danny’s invention of a salad that combines hearty, earthy walnuts, sweet pears, the bite of the white wine vinegar-and-oil dressing dotted with a blend of ricotta and goat cheese. Each bite is a prism of flavors - sweet, bitter, creamy, and crunchy that wouldn’t seem to get along well together, but they are scrumptious.

According to the Blue Cross Blue Shield “Well-Tuned website, there is a science as to why certain foods taste good together and others don’t. “Foods made up of similar compounds taste good together because they have that chemical element in common,” author Ashley Brantley writes. The Scientific American used that theory to create a flavor map connecting foods that have overlapping components. Foods like roasted beef, strawberries, apple and black tea share a lot of compounds with other foods and are easy to pair, while others, including walnuts, scallions and parsley are supposedly more difficult to pair. The food map made “common” pairings such as: Bread-tomato-cheese; apple-honey; beef-garlic-bell pepper; cheese-dates; pork-cilantro-green bell pepper. The more unusual pairings that share chemical compounds include chocolate and blue cheese; mushrooms-chicken-strawbery; beef-soybean-peanut butter-coffee; orange- basil-okra; cranberry-avocado-lard. (Oh my lard!) The shared compounds “don’t guarantee a food combination will taste good,” Ms. Brantley writes “but the pairings do provide an interesting place to start, especially when you’re trying out new ingredients.”

A balance of at least three or four of the five tastes - sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and unami (savory) - is key when you’re pairing foods at home.

If a dish is fatty - balance it with acid, the way lime juice cuts through a fatty avocado or vinegary barbecue sauce complements pulled pork. Counter salty or spicy tastes with sweetness – so sweet coconut milk with spicy curry, salted caramel chocolate or honey on a crumbly slab or gorgonzola. A spicy dish can be defused with starch or dairy – that’s why we love chips and salsa, creamy tomato soup or spicy kung pao chicken on a bed of rice. Even texture needs balancing – so add a bit of crunch to soft foods. “Having multiple textures in your dishes stimulates more of your brain cells, which can lead to more enjoyment,” Ms. Brantley writes. Thus, adding chopped nuts to a salad, or peanut butter on a stick of celery perks up our taste buds. Danny went one step further to engineer a tangy-smooth flavor by mixing goat and ricotta cheeses. “I did do something interesting - I mixed goat cheese and ricotta … because the ricotta makes it creamier and if you equal amounts you don’t get the tang of the goat cheese,” Danny said.

Serve this salad with toasted garlic bread or a French baguette for four people. All ingredients are available at Stewart’s Food Store. Grab some mint from the planters in front of the store.

Ingredients:

Salad: 1 bag mixed greens 1 bunch of arugula ½ cup mint leaves Handful chopped walnuts 1/2 pkg. Ricotta cheese 1 pkg. Goat cheese Poached pears:

1 pear per serving 3 cups of riesling or grape juice 1 cup of brown or white sugar Dressing:

6 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp white wine vinegar 1-2 shallots Preparation: Salad: Step 1: Shred arugula leaves and toss with mixed greens, mint, walnuts.

Step 2: Blend cheeses in ratio of 1 part ricotta to 2 parts goat cheese. Step 3: Dot edges of dish with creamy cheese. Pears: Step 1: Combine riesling or grape juice with sugar. Bring to a boil and cut heat back to a slow simmer.

Step 2: Place peeled, cored pears into slowly simmering liquid for 15 minutes. Remove and cool. Slice into bite-sized pieces.

Step 3: Toss with salad. Dressing: Step 1: Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Step 2: Toss with salad. Enjoy!