September 14, 2011: Pear and Greens Salad Recipe

Most recipes for a green salad with pears calls for Bleu or Roquefort cheese and that is a good foil to the sweetness of the fruit. However, I didn’t have that kind of cheese so I took a look through my fridge to find alternative ingredients. Here’s what I came up with.

Pear and Greens Salad

1 cup Romaine lettuce

1 cup green leaf lettuce

1/3 cup Garlic and Shallot Vinaigrette

1 ripe Bartlett pear, thinly sliced

¼ cup toasted pecan pieces

1 ounce shaved Parmesan cheese

Freshly grated black pepper

Toss lettuces with vinaigrette. Place half of it on a salad plate. Arrange half the pear slices over the top. Sprinkle with pecans and cheese; top with freshly grated black pepper to taste. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

To toast pecans: put in a dry skillet over medium low heat and cook for several minutes, until you can start to smell the fragrance of the nuts. Pressed for time? Microwave them on a small dish for about 2 minutes (check after 1 minute).

Serves two.

Tip: You can also use mixed baby greens or your choice of lettuce as the bed for the pears, nuts, and cheese.

September 8, 2011: Garlic and Shallot Vinaigrette Recipe

This is a wonderfully light but very flavor-packed vinaigrette that is great on any salad. I used it as a marinade for thinly sliced raw mushrooms and yellow squash, adding a bit of finely chopped jalapenos (as pictured) and it was delicious!

Garlic and Shallot Vinaigrette

2 T. finely minced shallot (about 1 small bulb section)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 T. fresh parsley, minced (or 1 T. dried/dehydrated parsley)

5 T. olive oil

1 ½ T. Dijon mustard

2 T. apple cider vinegar

2 T. balsamic vinegar

½ t. kosher salt

½ t. coarsely ground black peppercorns

Combine all ingredients in a small jar. Shake before using.