30 November 2017
Welcome friends. I hope that you had a nice Thanksgiving. I did not travel over the holiday, and that gave me time to experiment in the kitchen and to make some photos. I love Thanksgiving. It is a holiday based on food. I help out with a food drive at work each year and I don't think about my meal until that has been completed. I have two menus. One is traditional, with turkey. The other is experimental, with duck. I don't have a dishwasher, so I keep it small and only invite one or two friends.
I have been making this salad for a few months. I think the vinaigrette is magical. Well, pears are magical too, but add the vinaigrette and it is a double shazam. This vinaigrette is not a globby topping. I don't like those because they mask the flavors of fresh greens. I use soft pears for this salad. The bartlett and comice pears that I have gotten at the markets this year have been perfect. These types of pears need to be purchased when they are firm and green and allowed to ripen for three or four days on the counter.
I like the combination of walnut oil with olive oil. I have other salad recipes that just use walnut oil, but olive oil seems to soften out the vinaigrette. In the past, I've had some difficulty finding walnut oil, but it seems easier to locate these days. It comes in little bottles and has a large price tag. It should be stored in the refrigerator once it has been opened.
I like to build this salad on the serving plates. It looks like a lot of ingredients, but it comes together quickly.
Fall Pear Salad
20 min. prep time
Ingredients
serves 4
- for the vinaigrette
- 2 Tbl shallot, fine dice (about 2)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 4 Tbl champagne vinegar
- 3 Tbl walnut oil
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- fresh ground pepper
- for the salad
- mixed baby lettuce, prewashed
- small head of radicchio
- arugula, prewashed
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2 radishes, cut into matchsticks
- 2 pears, quartered and cored
- 1/4 cup walnut pieces
- gruyere or comte shavings
Directions
place the diced shallots in a small bowl. Add the salt and stir to combine. Let this rest for 5 minutes.
whisk in the mustard and vinegar.
combine the oils in a measuring cup. Slowly drizzle the oils into the bowl, while whisking. Add a little bit of fresh pepper and whisk to combine. The vinaigrette will keep for about a week in the refrigerator. It will separate, but can be whisked together before serving.
build each salad starting with mixed baby lettuce. Add a few pieces of radicchio and some arugula. Sprinkle the radish pieces and cranberries over the top.
slice the pears, lengthwise, and add to the salad. Drizzle one or two tablespoons of vinaigrette over each salad. Add the walnut pieces. Use a vegetable peeler to create cheese shavings over the top.