Baby Arugula with Roasted Pears, Spicy Pecans & Crumbled Gorgonzola
yields serves 4 to 6

For the spicy pecans

Preheat the oven to 300F. Line a large, shallow baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place two bowls on your counter. Place a medium-mesh wire sieve in one bowl and, in the other, combine the egg white, water and salt. Add the nuts to the egg white mixture, and stir to coat them well. Pour the wet nuts into the sieve and allow them to drain fully, for 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the superfine sugar, cumin, cayenne, black pepper and paprika. Wipe out the first bowl so it’s dry and add the drained nuts. Sprinkle the sugar-spice mixture over the nuts and stir to coat them well. Pour the seasoned nuts (which will be sticky) onto the prepared baking sheet and try, as best you can, separate them into a single layer (a few will overlap and that’s fine). Sprinkle the top of the nuts lightly with Kosher or sea salt.

Place the nuts into the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back, after half the baking. When done, the nuts will still be sticky but will have darkened a bit and will give off a wonderful aroma. Avoid letting the nuts burn which will leave them bitter-tasting. Remove the nuts from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack, which will allow them to crisp up and get rid of any sticky quality. At this point, break up any larger clusters and store in an airtight tin, at room temperature

For the roasted pears

Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a shallow baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil (or regular foil) and brush the foil with some of the melted butter, then sprinkle the greased surface, lightly but evenly, with super-fine sugar. Peel the pears, cut them in half lengthwise and use a melon-scoop to remove the seed cavity and also the tough, rope-like connector between the stem and cavity. Slice each pear-half into 4 wedges (3 if the pears are medium sized) and, one by one, brush each wedge, on both sides, with some of the lemon juice and then with the melted butter (again, on both sides). Place each wedge on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle the top, first, with a dusting of superfine granulated sugar and then with some coarse salt, to taste. At this point, the pears can be covered with plastic wrap and kept at a comfortable room temperature for an hour before roasting. Place the pears, uncovered, into the preheated oven and roast 15 minutes. Remove the pears from the oven and allow them to become “just warm” on a wire rack, still on their original baking sheet.

For the chicken or shrimp

If using the chicken or shrimp, first prepare the seasoning mixture. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and chives. Add freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Place either the chicken or shrimp into a nonreactive dish and coat with 2/3 cup of the seasoning mixture, if using 6 large chicken breast halves and ½ cup if using. Reserve 3 tablespoons separately to use to baste while cooking the rest to pass at the table. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook. (If using shrimp, divide between a few long metal skewers.)

To cook the chicken or shrimp

Sprinkle the seasoned chicken or skewered shrimp with coarse salt and grill outside on a gas or charcoal grill (on high or over direct heat) or on an indoor, stove-top grill pan. Either way, turn once during cooking, allowing the flesh to become deeply colored on the outside and just cooked through (avoid overcooking which leaves chicken dry and shrimp tough. After turning, brush the tops with the reserved seasoning mixture. Once cooked, remove from the heat source and allow to settle on a plate so that any residual cooking can take place and the internal juices can centralize (let rest 5 minutes).

To make the dressing

If not using the added protein, combine the reduced amount of the same ingredients and set this aside until ready to use as the dressing, when assembling the salad.

To assemble the salad and serve

Place the arugula in a large bowl and dress with some of the dressing, without going overboard (the leaves should just be coated lightly, but evenly. Mound the dressed leaves in the center of individual serving plates and spicy pecans, roasted pears and gorgonzola either around the greens, each in their own small decorative piles, or scatter these over the top. If serving the grilled chicken or shrimp, either serve these on a separate platter, or slice each breast half and lay these slices (or the grilled shrimp) over the top of the dressed greens. Serve at once, with a reliable peppermill and any remaining dressing, passed at the table.