Gorgonzola Pear Crostini, and Strip Steak with Gorgonzola and Caramelized Onions

The other night I was in the mood to try something new in my usual routine of baguette, cheese and fruit, and I fell back on a variation that my friend Michelle makes, gorgonzola and pear crostini with a light drizzle of honey. I picked up Salemville Amish Gorgonzola, a Wisconsin version of the Italian classic moldy cheese. Something this pungent and delicious requires just the right wine, so I consulted my friend Lisa, who is the resident expert on such things. She said the acidity of a New Zealand sauv blanc would highlight both the cheese and pear nicely, so along with the anjou pears I found a NZ wine called Oyster Bay:

All the ingredients are assembled above, with my favorite demi baguette that the bakery is always kind enough to slice and rewrap for me. Don't feel sorry for my pears, they're a little beat but sweet and ripe. When selecting your moldy cheeses pick through the pieces for ones with a good distribution of mold. You might even see the lines where it's injected during the aging process:

Slice your pears relatively thin:

 

Now you could do the crostini bit a few ways. Most people tend to brush the bread with olive oil and bake them for a bit first, or even put the pears with the cheese over it. I don't know if this is right or wrong but I put my cheese right on the untoasted bread:

Stick under the broiler until melty and delicious:

Top with fresh pears and top with some honey. I find using the tines of a fork easier for getting those little thin drizzles:

 

I love the contrast of the seriously tangy strong flavors of the gorgonzola with the sweet crisp cold pear and the sweet touch of honey. The wine was perfect too, and I never really thought before about how acidity in wine provides a really great background to make fruity flavors pop without clashing with a cheese with such a strong personality like the gorgonzola.

I had plenty of gorgonzola left over, so I figured I'd do it some justice and grilled up a nice aged NY strip steak, topped it with caramelized onions and then more of that crumbly cheesy goodness:

Red new potatoes on the side of course. This steak doesn't need much before it goes in the pan, just salt, pepper, and then a good hot sear in some fat like olive oil or butter. I like it about 3-4 minutes on each side, nice and rare:

This is a great piece of meat, and the gorgonzola surprisingly does not hide the naturally rich flavors of the cut. Like the crostini, the onions are nice and sweet, and like the pears they play well off of the salty and tangy flavors. I definitely can't wait to do this again for Jordan when he comes home.

PS - Happy National Cheese Lover's Day to all of my readers! Please share your favorite cheeses with me in the comments, and I'll try to feature them in upcoming entries.