Autumn Pear Salad *

   

I served this with our Thanksgiving dinner.  I was a wonderful addition, and actually one of my favorites.  I served the dressing in a bowl on the side for people to put as much or as little dressing as they wanted and in case the salad didn't get entirely eaten, I could have fresh, not soggy, left overs.  Well, my nephew thought it was gravy and poured it on his mashed potatoes.  YUCK. So it may be a good idea just to mix it all together right before you eat...just saying :-) 

Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients

Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbsp finely diced shallot
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 Tbsp salted butter
• 1 Tbsp packed light-brown sugar
• 7 oz Spring Salad & Spinach blend
• 2 oz parmesan cheese, shaved
• 2 Red Anjou Pears, sliced thin (Bartlett pears work fine too)
• 1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries

Instructions

For the vinaigrette:
To a blender add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, diced shallot and season with salt and pepper to taste (I used a 1/4 +1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper). Blend mixture until well emulsified, about 20 seconds. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to serve.

For the salad and candied walnuts:
In a medium skillet melt butter along with brown sugar over medium heat. Once mixture has melted add walnuts and cook, stirring constantly until caramelized, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate in a single layer to cool.

Layer lettuce and pears in a large bowl and toss with dressing, then top with parmesan, dried cranberries and candied pecans and serve (alternately just layer all the salad ingredients then drizzle with dressing. 

Note: top this salad with dressing just before serving as it will wilt the lettuces after a while).

Source: Not sure