Earl Grey-Poached Pear Salad #FoodieReads

I made this after reading The Snow Globe Affair by Ana T. Drew.

The Snow Globe Affair by Ana T. Drew was just what I needed this week - a cozy mystery with a Christmas setting. I didn't really know what to expect and, yes, I did buy it just for the title.

This book takes place in France where a contest pairs a psychic with a mathematician to solve some riddles and, hopefully, find a long-lost Chagall painting entitled Father Christmas. We meet Cat, the psychic protagonist, and mathematician, Zack, who partner up to solve the ciphers and find the painting. They were originally part of the pool of teams that neared two dozen; finally it was between them and one other team who were both friends and colleagues.

The subtitle says the book is based on actual events, but I don't know which parts. Was Marc Chagall as prolific an artist as they said? Hundreds of pieces of art? Maybe. Was his widow robbed of his art after his death. Maybe. Regardless...it made for a good story.

Also, though reluctant in love, Cat and Zack end up together in a really sweet romance. After I finished reading this, I immediately picked up the sequel. Stay tuned for more on that.

Given that the book takes place in France, there is quite a lot of food mentioned.

"If she were here for leisure, she’d be indulging in gooey raclette or roasted chestnuts, washing it all down with fragrant mulled wine. But this isn’t that kind of visit, and she has no time to indulge."

"The air is filled with the rich aromas of freshly brewed coffee and hot chocolate. Waiters in crisp uniforms glide between the tables, balancing platters of smoked salmon on blini, petits fours stuffed with fine ham and cheese, and delicate little pastries."

"They choose a small table in the back away from the low hum of other diners. Cat orders a korma, and Zack, a curry. ...Their fragrant food arrives. For a moment, nourishment sidetracks them. The korma is warm, rich, and comforting, and Cat welcomes the sensations."

But what sent me to the kitchen was this passage: "Cat places the last poached pear on the table, and steps back to admire her handiwork. After the oeufs cocotte with mushrooms and the magret with mashed potatoes, the four scavenger hunters are about to dig into their well-deserved desserts."

When I read it, I immediately decided to poach pears for a salad. I missed the part about it being a desserts. Whoops. If I had seen that I would have done a riff on my Merlot-Poached Pears. But here we are with a salad...

Earl Grey-Poached Pear Salad

Poached Pears

• 6 cups water

• 6 Earl Grey tea bags (or 6 Tablespoons unbagged tea)

• 6 pears (I used a mixture of bosc and Asian), peeled, halved, and cored

• 1 cup raw turbinado sugar

• 4 whole cloves

Salad

• mixed salad greens

• chèvre

• Marcona almonds

• olive oil

• balsamic vinegar

• freshly ground salt

• freshly ground pepper

Poached Pears

Bring water to boil in medium saucepan. Add tea bags. Remove from heat. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Discard tea bags. Add sugar to tea and stir over medium heat until dissolved. Add pears and cloves. Cover and simmer until pears are just tender, approximately 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears to a bowl. Boil syrup in saucepan until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour syrup over fruit. Chill until cold.

Salad

On a bed of mixed greens, place the poached pears. Fill the hollow with a spoonful of chèvre. Sprinkle almonds over the whole salad. Drizzle the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add freshly ground salt and pepper to finish off the salad. Serve immediately.

I am adding this to the December #FoodieReads Link-Up.