A tasty starter or just a light meal in itself, we had this to start our Christmas lunch with friends and it went down a storm and left plenty of room for what was to follow - delicious with a sweet wine like a Moscato or Vin Santo even! Ingredients (serves 4): 2 hard dessert pears 40g of walnut pieces 150g Gorgonzola Piccante 2 tablespoons of olive oil 10g of butter 2 heaped tablespoons of creme fraiche 1 large egg yolk 120g of salad leaves of your choice 50g of bread cut into small cubes Method: First, make the croutons by putting 10g of the cheese into a bowl and blending it with 1 tablespoon of oil using a fork, then toss the bread cubes in the dressing, put them onto a baking sheet and cook for 10-12 minutes or until nice and brown. Wash and cut the pears into quarters, remove the cores then cut each quarter into four slices. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and lightly cook the walnuts, tossing them for a minute or two, then remove them with a slotted spoon and set to one side. Add the butter to the same pan then add the pears and cook gently for around 3 minutes on each side until nicely coloured. Drain them onto kitchen paper. Put the creme fraiche into a small saucepan with the remaining cheese, crumbling it as you add it and whisk it together over a low heat to make a sauce . Drop in the egg yolk and keep whisking until the sauce thickens, but do not let it boil. Put the salad onto the plate, followed by the pears, scatter with walnuts and drizzle with sauce before sprinkling on the croutons and serve while warm. Notes: You could substitute the cheese for a standard non picante Gorgonzola if you fnd it too strong or even something a bit creamier like a Dolcelatte.