Salad of Pears, Candied Pecans & Blue Cheese (& Winners!)



It's winter time. That means pears. I never know which pear is what and which pear tastes best. Anjou, Comice, Red, Bartlett. I am not a huge fan, so I have never done the pear taste test.

In this salad, I combined 3 different varieties.



Normally, I would add candied walnuts to this salad. But my neighbor Valerie makes the most addictive candied pecans for Christmas, which I don't usually share with anyone.



Well, this year I was feeling generous, so decided to add a few of them to the salad.

Don't toss the salad until you are ready to serve it, or the greens will wilt.

Salad of Pears, Candied Pecans & Blue Cheese:

large container of mixed salad greens
1/4 cup of candied nuts
1 cup of crumbled blue cheese
3 pears, any variety, or mixed, cored and sliced thin

Dressing (from Epicurious):

3 tbsp lemon juice
1 small shallot, minced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil



Drizzle a small amount of the dressing on the greens and toss lightly.
Arrange the cheese, nuts and sliced pears on top and drizzle some more of the dressing on top.

Enjoy!



The 2 random winners of the Ottolenghi Cookbook are Simone "who is going to eat more veggies in the new year" and Melanie "who grew up eating well without even noticing it, and is sticking to her routine!".
Please contact me with your addresses so you may receive the cookbooks!
Thank you for all of your inspiring comments, everyone is so smart!


Comments

The JR said…
Congrats to the winners.

That's a beautiful salad.
Kathy Walker said…
Your salad screams "taste me"! Pears, blue cheese and candied pecans are such a winning combination!
kat said…
A classic for winter when we are craving fresh greens
Ioana said…
This looks soooo delicious! I'm so excited to make it! Thanks for sharing!
Stacey this is one of my favorite salads, in fact I have a variation that I'm going to post shortly.
Anonymous said…
Beautiful salad! I wish i could handle blue choose hehehe.
Lisa in DE said…
Yummeee. I've been enjoying a pear variety from a nearby family farm: Forelle is the pear. From the Internet - In Season: October - March. Flavor Profile: crisp, tangy, and refreshingly sweet

The Forelle is an uncommon variety known for its smaller size and its unique yellow-green skin that is naturally decorated with crimson freckles. It has a crisp texture even when ripe, and is perfect for snacking, cooking, and pairing with wine and cheese. It's small so just fits in the palm of your hand. Stays crisp. Lisa
tasteofbeirut said…
This is a delicious salad; I was eager for a recipe for these candied pecans as well!
Jen_from_NJ said…
Stacey your salads always look so good! Another winner!
Claudia said…
I make this salad and I buy (read: expensive) my pecans candied. Now if someone knew of a way of getting a gorgeous recipes for those candied nuts....
Stacey Snacks said…
ASK & YOU SHALL RECEIVE:

1 egg white
1 tbsp water
1 lb. pecan halves
1 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 F (120 degrees C). Grease one baking sheet.

In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
Add pecans to egg whites, stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts, and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet and let cool.
Enjoy!
Culinary Cory said…
This is my favorite combination of flavors for a salad. I love pears with blue cheese. I wonder if I would end up eating sugared nuts before they would make their way into the salad.