5
Submitted by gailanng
"A fresh change of taste. The amount of servings depends on the additions and naturally, whether it's served as a side or main meal."
photo by Ambervim 
- Ready In:
- 23mins
- Ingredients:
- 16
- Serves:
-
6
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ingredients
-
For the vinaigrette
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh limes or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 1⁄4 teaspoons Dijon mustard or 1 1/4 teaspoons whole grain prepared mustard
- 1⁄4 - 1⁄2 teaspoon maple syrup or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons finely minced green onions
- salt and pepper
-
For the walnuts
- 1 cup walnut halves
- 1⁄2 teaspoon butter
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 dash cayenne or 1 dash hot smoked paprika
-
For the salad
- 1⁄2 lb arugula, mesclun, romaine, mache, spinach (whatever may be your preference)
- 3 firm bartlett pears, washed, cored and sliced into very thin wedges (skin remaining)
- 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (gorgonzola, Stilton, etc.)
- 2 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and well drained
- 1⁄2 - 1 lb cooked sliced chicken (optional)
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directions
- Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients until well blended; set aside.
- In a small frying pan set on a medium heat, melt the butter, stir in the maple syrup or honey and then stir in the walnuts. Continue to heat the walnuts, stirring continuously, for approximately 2-3 minutes or until they are fragrant, caramelized and lightly browned. Remove from the heat; set aside.
- Place the greens in a large salad bowl or, if individual servings are preferred, distribute them equally among 6 salad plates. Sprinkle over the pears, blue cheese and walnuts. Place over chicken then drizzle with dressing and toss.
- Note: I find having the chicken warmed is superior to cold chicken.
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Reviews
-
I made a vegetarian version of this salad, obviously by leaving out the bacon and chicken...and it was fantastic! I really really loved it, from the delicately candied walnuts to the creamy blue cheese - mmmm, I wish there was some left over. This would be a fabulous salad to serve on a special occassion - but certainly not that time intensive that you couldn't make it any old time. If I were to change anything, I might just double up on the ingredients to 'candy' the walnuts - they were so darn good I would like a bit more of that flavour in the finished product. Be careful with your pears, sliced thinly they are super delicate. Thanks GailAnn!
magpie diner
-
Tasty. I only had head lettuce in the house, arugula would have been better. Having no walnuts, I used pecans. Blue cheese, pear and nuts is a clasic profile. Taste wise the bacon in unecessary in this recipe, in my opnion. I chose not to add chicken.
Ambervim
-
Pears and blue cheese are a match made in heaven and when you add this delicious dressing along with bacon and the walnuts, it definitely makes the salad out of this world good! I did not add the chicken as I served this dish as a side salad, but I'll be willing to bet that with the addition of the chicken, it would make a great light lunch or dinner. Made for New Kids On the Block, March, 2012.
DailyInspiration
-
I've played around with this for several years. I find the bacon really doesn't add much. I omit the green onions from the dressing and add thinly sliced shallots to the salad. Sometimes I add dried cranberries
sha_lyn68
-
OMG This is soooo good. Made this with more dressing and More of the ingredients for the walnuts. Love it.
adopt a greyhound
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Tweaks
-
-green onion -bacon +Shallots
sha_lyn68
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
gailanng
United States
- 172 Followers
- 2851 Recipes
- 13 Tweaks
I'm just me, mother, grandmother...friend to many and a Louisianian. My Cajun and French Quarter Italian descent afforded me exposure to some of the best of foods. My passions are my family, decorating, cooking and gardening. Those very passions push me into constant awareness with always looking for something new to delight the senses, thus my favorite idiom...Inspire me, puuuullllllleeeeeeease! ...and I mean it, too. God Bless America!
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