For the beets and walnuts:

8 beets

1 ½ cups walnut halves

For the dressing:

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

¼ cup red wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

To finish the salad

4 Belgian endives

2 ripe pears, preferably Anjou

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf

parsley

6 ounces Roquefort cheese, broken into large pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Scrub beets well. Trim off the stems and roots, leaving 1 inch of each. Wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil, place them on a baking sheet and bake un­til tender, 1 to 1 ½ hours, depending on their size.

While the beets are cooking, spread the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the same oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, chop coarsely and set aside.

When the beets are tender, remove them from the oven, discard the foil and al­low them to cool a bit. Then, slip off the skins, cut the beets into ¹/2-inch cubes and set them aside.

To prepare the dressing, whisk the mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper to­gether in a small bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Con­tinue whisking until the dressing has thickened. Set aside.

Cut the endives in half lengthwise, then crosswise on the diagonal, into ½ inch pieces. Place them in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive juice.

Peel, quarter and core the pears. Thinly slice each quarter lengthwise. Place the slices in the bowl with the endives and toss gently to coat with lemon juice. Add the reserved beets and walnuts. Season with salt and pepper. Add the dressing and parsley, and toss well. Gently fold in the cheese and serve.

Servings: 6 to 8.