Bayley Hazen Blue, Pear, and Guanciale Saslad

Bayley's peppery spice and smooth texture merge with melt-in-your-mouth guanciale and supple pears. Walnuts add an earthiness and crunch while a drizzle of chili crisp captures the heat of high summer.

We have a very special cameo chef for this recipe. Bobby Boucher is a cheesemonger at Murray’s in New York, and one of our 2023 Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund Apprentices. He wanted to share this beautifully balanced salad in honor of Bayley Hazen Blue month! Writes Bobby,

"In the summer I always look for a light and crunchy salad to have before dinner. Something that can truly shine before the main course or even be the main course. Bayley Hazen Blue and pears is a match made in summer heaven."

It starts with frying up the guanciale. Guanciale is cured pork jowl and can be substituted with pancetta if you would like. Drawing out most of that fat will leave your guanciale crispy and give you a delicious base for your vinaigrette later on.

The finishing components are the pear and walnuts. One pear julienned to act as a base for the salad to sit on and to throw throughout. Walnuts should be lightly toasted in a pan and seasoned with one teaspoon of Garam Masala and a pinch of salt. 

There's no better way to round out the dog days than with this sweet, smoky, earthy, and rich combination of flavors.

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Serves 3-4

EQUIPMENT

• 10” shallow fry pan 

• Large mixing bowl

• Whisk 

• Wooden spoon 

• Cutting board 

• Chefs knife 

INGREDIENTS

• 200g Guanciale 

• 1/4 cup Pear Cider 

• 200g Bayley Hazen Blue, crumbled into pea-sized pieces — set aside 80 grams for garnishing at the end

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar

• 120g walnuts 

• 1 Tablespoon neutral oil

• 1 Tablespoon garam masala 

• 1 large head of iceberg lettuce, roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces

• 1 pear 

• 1 Tablespoon chili crisp — Bobby’s favorite is Laoganma

• Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1 — PREPARE THE GUANCIALE:

Chop guanciale into small pieces, about ¼” wide by 1” long. Add the guanciale to a cold pan, over medium to medium-high heat. Allow fat to render, stirring occasionally. Once browned, but not yet crispy, spoon off the fat from the pan and set aside for the vinaigrette.

Add the pear cider to the pan of guanciale, turn the heat up to high, and allow to reduce until it just coats the guanciale, which should be caramelized and crispy. Remove the guanciale to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up excess oil.

2 — MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE:

Add the vinegar and 120 g of the crumbled Bayley Hazen Blue to a large mixing bowl. Mix vigorously with a whisk until smooth; there should be no lumps of Bayley remaining. Slowly drizzle the Guanciale fat into the bowl while whisking. Incorporate fat until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste; add more vinegar or a squeeze of lemon if it needs a touch more acidity.

3 — TOAST THE WALNUTS:

Chop the walnuts into small, uniformly-sized pieces. In a pan over medium heat, toast the walnuts with the oil, stirring constantly. Once the walnuts are lightly toasted, remove from heat, add the garam masala and a pinch of salt, and stir until evenly coated.

4 — CONSTRUCT THE SALAD:

Julienne (slice into thin matchsticks) your pear and evenly scatter across the entire surface of a large plate, creating a sort of ‘nest.’ Add the chopped lettuce to your bowl of vinaigrette and toss to dress evenly. Mound the dressed lettuce on top of the pear layer. Sprinkle with the remaining 80g of crumbled Bayley, the toasted spiced walnuts, and the crispy guanciale. Finally, spoon as much Chili Crisp as you’d like all over the salad and dig in!