PEAR, FENNEL AND CELERY SALAD WITH BUTTERMILK BLUE CHEESE
A few weeks ago, I was invited to what I affectionately call cheese camp, a three-day immersion into the cheese culture of the Roth Cheese company, near Madison, WI, complete with cheese tasting, farm visits, and copious dairy consumption. I was born in Illinois, 30 minutes from the Wisconsin border so I was excited to return to the heartland with fresh eyes, having not known until recently that a creamery steeped in centuries of Swiss tradition existed so close to my childhood home.
I’ve been to creamery, dairy and cheese caves before—in France, Ireland and even Italy, but what I found at Roth in Wisconsin was the same exact European standards—the methodical wash rinds, the turning and aging of wheels, the geeky passion of the cheesemakers, the tasting from wheels until it passes muster for texture and flavor, before they are shipped and sold.
Roth Cheese sources their milk from about 152 family dairy farms within a 60-mile radius from their creameries, so of course visiting one of the family farms was a must. We talked at length with the farmer about the work required (he still milks by hand), and how the increase in consumption of soy, nut and oat milks have dramatically decreased the demand for cow’s milk. This was humbling to me because my own grandparents were farmers; I get how a change in demand can be devastating to a small family farm. Fortunately for the farmers, though, the world’s demand for cheese has only increased. And for three solid days we ate the best of it— before, after and during long country rides with good wine and even better conversation.
The first night, we went to a farm 40 miles Madison, run and owned by an Italian family. The chef and family patriarch prepared every course with a different kind of Roth cheese—including a silky melty Grand Cru and ham rolled in handmade sheets of pasta that was insane. Truly comfort food at its absolute best. But of all the decadent courses, the one that stuck with me most a simple celery, shaved mushroom and grand cru cheese salad. I liked the salad with the Grand Cru, and it was certainly a classic worth repeating, but it was another cheese that really turned my head on this trip—a big wedge of blue that I first tried out of obligation, and then fell deeply for. The veins were a steel blue (a result of oxidation—they are green when you first cut the wheel) and beautiful. It is creamy, salty, and in a world of aggressive blues—an utter stand out.
Back at home, it was the blue I kept thinking about. How good would a wedge salad be with Buttermilk blue? And shouldn’t I be making homemade blue cheese dressing again—and soon? And what about that salad from the farm—wouldn’t that be even more decadent with creamy crumbles of Buttermilk blue? The answer: Yes.
Here’s my recipe—a salad that I think would be stellar with just about any fall meal, and worth hanging onto and repeating right through the holiday season (imagine this beauty as a first course for Thanksgiving Roast Turkey, or alongside a Christmas Eve Prime Rib!).
PEAR, FENNEL AND CELERY SALAD WITH BUTTERMILK BLUE CHEESE
1/2 TO 3/4 CUP FRESH WALNUT HALVES (OPTIONAL)
2 SMALL BULBS FENNEL, TRIMMED AND THINLY SLICED (ON A MANDOLINE)
3 STALKS CELERY, TRIMMED AND THINLY SLICED
1 TO 2 LARGE FIRM, RIPE PEARS, QUARTERED, CORED AND CUT INTO THIN SLICES
1/3 CUP CELERY LEAVES, TORN OR ROUGHLY CHOPPED
JUICE OF 1 LEMON
2 TO 3 TABLESPOONS EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
3 OUNCES ROTH BUTTERMILK BLUE CHEESE, CRUMBLED
1/2 TEASPOON FLAKY SEA SALT, SUCH AS MALDON
FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
FRESH HERBS OR FLOWERING HERBS, SUCH AS PARSLEY, CHERVIL OR DILL
BRING THE BUTTERMILK BLUE TO ROOM TEMP WHILE YOU PREPARE THE REMAINING INGREDIENTS. TOAST THE WALNUTS IN A PREHEATED 350-DEGREE OVEN UNTIL FRAGRANT AND GOLDEN, ABOUT 8 MINUTES. COOL AND BREAK INTO PIECES.
TOSS TOGETHER THE FENNEL, CELERY, PEAR AND CELERY LEAVES IN A LARGE BOWL. SEASONW ITH LEMON JUICE, SALT, PEPPER AND OLIVE OIL. SPREAD ONTO A SERVING PLATTER AND SPRINKLE WITH WALNUTS AND BLUE CHEESE. SCATTER ON YOUR FAVORITE HERBS AND SERVE AT ROOM TEMP.
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 15 MINUTES
SERVES 4
**This post was sponsored by ROTH CHEESE. All opinions are my own.** images belong to Sarah Copeland, and should not be pinned or posted without attribution. **
Photos // SARAH COPELAND + HARRISON LUBIN
Food + Prop Styling // SARAH COPELAND