Salad With Pecans Gorgonzola And Roasted Pear

Peel skin from pear, cut in half and remove core.

Place pear halves, core side up, in a small baking pan such as an 8-inch cake pan. Place 1/2 teaspoon butter in the core indentations in each pear half. Sift the powdered sugar over the pears. If desired, pour just enough dessert wine into the pan to film the bottom.

Place pear in a preheated, 400 degrees F oven and roast for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush the melted butter in the indentation all over both sides of each pear half.

Turn core-side down. Continue roasting for 10 minutes or until pear is fork-tender. During last 5 minutes of roasting time, toast pecan halves in a small pan alongside the pear.

Toss greens with vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Mound on individual plates. Break the toasted pecan halves and scatter over the salads. Top with the Gorgonzola.

Place a warm pear half beside the mound of lettuce on each salad plate, rounded side up. Slice the pears several times vertically from the curved end almost to the tapered end. Press down to fan the slices.