A fresh and elegant salad of tender butter lettuce, ripe pears, blue cheese and crunchy candied walnuts, finished with balsamic vinaigrette. The combination of sweet pears, tangy cheese and caramelized walnuts makes this especially nice for entertaining.
Servings: 4
Prep Time: About 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes cooling
Cook Time: 5–8 minutes
Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 head butter lettuce
- 2 Royal Riviera pears, peeled, cored and sliced
- 3 ounces blue cheese
- 4 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
- ½ cup candied walnuts
Candied Walnuts
Ingredients:
- ½ cup walnut halves
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt and black pepper.
- Rinse the walnut halves briefly under running water and drain. While still damp, toss them in the brown sugar mixture until evenly coated.
- Arrange the walnuts in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 5–8 minutes, stirring once, until the sugar has melted and the walnuts are glazed.
- Remove from the oven and allow the candied walnuts to cool for at least 30 minutes.
- Tear the butter lettuce into bite-size pieces and divide among four chilled salad plates.
- Fan the pear slices attractively over the lettuce.
- Crumble the blue cheese evenly over each salad.
- Drizzle each serving with balsamic vinaigrette and finish with the candied walnuts.
- Serve immediately.
Tip: Prepare the candied walnuts ahead so they are completely cool before assembling the salad. Slice the pears shortly before serving to prevent them from browning.
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