This is a beautiful fall salad that I make for Thanksgiving dinner. I will admit, the salad doesn’t get as much play as the other side dishes. But I happen to love a green salad amongst all the richness. Don’t get me wrong, I love richness too, but a little somethin’ to cut the grease is always good.
Cranberry Pear Salad with Candied Walnuts
1/2 cup apricot nectar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cups chopped walnuts
12 cups fancy mixed salad greens
3 ripe medium pears, sliced into thin slices
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
3/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
Make the dressing: In a bowl, whisk together the first six ingredients and set aside.
Candy the walnuts: In a heavy skillet, melt the sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the walnuts and stir to coat. Remove from the heat.
Assemble the salad: In a large salad bowl, combine the green, pears and cranberries. Drizzle with the dressing. Add nuts and blue cheese and toss.
Serve immediately. Yields 12 servings.
Note: I usually try to pick up some different types of pears for this, some with more brown flesh, some with red … makes the salad more colorful! Also, if you have the wherewithall to plan ahead, get your pears a few days in advance so they’ll have time to ripen. Sweet, juicy pears are best here.
