Pear, Pecan & Blue Cheese Salad

Number of Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 ½ cups

Equipment Needed:

• Large salad bowl
• Sharp knife

Ingredients

• 6 cups of lettuce (such as butter or spring mix)
• 1 five-ounce bag of glazed pecans (such as Emerald Brand)
• 1 medium or 2 small pears (I like Bartlett)
• ½ cup of crumbled blue cheese (I like Point Reyes Blue)
• Balsamic Glaze (see recipe below)
• Premium extra virgin Olive Oil
• Pinch of salt

Preparation

Wash and dry the lettuce and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.

Cut the pear into 1-inch cubes.

Place lettuce greens in large salad bowl. Add the pears and pecans. Crumble the blue cheese over the salad, breaking up the larger clumps. Toss with olive oil and the pinch of salt. The greens should just glisten (not drip) with the oil.

Divide the salad into 4 bowls and drizzle with the balsamic glaze.

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Homemade Balsamic Glaze

This recipe turns an inexpensive balsamic vinegar into a decadent glaze that is a close second in flavor to an aged balsamic. It is easy to make and tastes delicious on tomatoes as well as desserts.

Number of Servings: 12
Serving Size: 1 ounce

Equipment Needed:

• Small Saucepan
• Plastic squeeze bottle with cap

Ingredients

• 2 cups good-quality balsamic vinegar (Any from the Modena Region in Italy work well)

Preparation

Pour the vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it begins to bubble, adjust the heat to medium-low.

Your goal is for the vinegar to thicken as it cooks, but you do not want it to boil at any point.

Let it simmer until it is reduced by about half. This should take 10-15 minutes depending on your stove.

The glaze is ready when it has the consistency of honey and coats the back of a spoon. If you want to be absolutely sure that it is ready, wipe your finger down the center of the spoon to create a ridge. The glaze should not run into the ridge at all.

Remove from heat and let cool completely. Note that the glaze will continue to thicken once removed from heat. Store the cooled glaze in the plastic squeeze bottle in the refrigerator. It lasts up to a month.

Squeeze liberally on tomatoes, vanilla ice cream, fruit, chicken, brussels sprouts, green salads, avocado, etc.