Gorgonzola and Grape Salad with Candied Garlic
by Cindi Sutter, Founder & Editor - Recipe author is unknown, but some call Gorgonzola the cheese that lives!
Yield: 6 to 10
Dressing: must be made 24 hours ahead of time.
1/4 cup aged red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic
1 small shallot, minced
1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Candied Garlic:
20 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
Salad:
2 cups seedless green and red grapes, halved
1 cup Gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled
1 head frisbee lettuce, or other hearty greens
Instructions
Dressing: Place red wine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and garlic cloves in a blender and pulse on high speed. Add the shallots and slowly incorporate the extra-virgin olive oil while blender is on high speed. Finish seasoning with black pepper and allow the dressing to sit for 24 hours, refrigerated, before using.
For the candied garlic: Coat a sheet pan with oil for the finished garlic. Place the garlic and water in a large saute pan over medium to high heat. Boil the cloves until they are cooked through but still firm to the touch and still maintain their shape. This takes about 8 minutes. By this time the water should be all the way or close to being evaporated. At this point, add the sugar in with the garlic cloves and continue to cook over medium heat while stirring occasionally. After a couple of minutes, the sugar will begin to caramelize. At this point, it is important that the garlic is stirred constantly so they become evenly coated with the caramelized sugar. Continue to caramelize the garlic until golden to dark brown. This process happens very quickly so stay alert. Turn the garlic out onto the greased sheet pan and cool.
For the salad: Place the grapes, Gorgonzola and candied garlic in a large mixing bowl. Add 3/4 cup of dressing. You want enough dressing in the bowl to fully saturate the cheese and grape mixture. Add the lettuce and toss your salad. Then taste it to test the seasoning, and adjust if needed.