Ok, I messed this recipe from Mollie Katzen's "The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without" up bad. I was one of those nightmare people who doesn't follow instructions, leaves out ingredients, changes the preparation method, then leaves a comment saying "I used kidney beans instead of shrimp and it just wasn't very good."
The difference here is that the recipe still turned out very good, despite me doing my worst to mess it up.
The original recipe, found here on Culinary.net, complete with a nice photo, is for a layered salad.
The base layer is arugula, with thinly sliced beets, pear and avocado all arranged on top, sprinkled with gorgonzola and some optional garnishes.
I decided it needed to be more of a tian, something with the ingredients pressed in close proximity, so the pear could absorb some pink beet juice and it could look all exotic and colorful.
I layered the ingredients in a small plastic container, pressing on them as I went.
I didn't have gorgonzola or blue cheese, so I used cotija. I also forgot to put any walnuts in.
And then I turned the whole pile out onto a plate, arugula-less, but slippery and, yes, quite delicious:
The flavors were magnificent together - delicate, interesting, and distinct. I think the cotija was a good call, because it was salty, but otherwise mild-flavored. Gorgonzola might have been a bit much.
If I hadn't been so hungry, I would have let it sit an hour or two to get all colorized, but I didn't. I just ate it up.
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