Yet Another Pear Salad Recipe

You readers may be getting bored of all these pear salad recipes I have been posting lately but I for one am not! And, I am telling you, this recipe is the best one yet. This version "pears" together firm ripe Bosc pears with crunchy juicy granny smith apples. The green and gold contrast is as aesthetically pleasing as it is delicious and it gave me a strange urge to begin decorating my house for Christmas. But the thing that really makes this recipe stand out from the other pear salad recipes that I have tried recently is the vinaigrette. Ordinary pantry spices come together in an unusual combination in this recipe (dried basil, dry mustard, paprika, and even cayenne pepper) that had my taste buds dancing in ecstasy. And do not even think about substituting a different cheese for the goat cheese. Since the vinaigrette packs in so much flavor a strong cheese like blue cheese would be too overpowering, and feta too salty. But a nice mild crumbled goat cheese adds soothing bits of creamy texture to the this autumn salad's otherwise crisp contents that puts this recipe on a whole new level of classic cuisine. You can find this recipe in the October 2007 edition of Cooking Light magazine or by visiting www.myrecipes.com.

Autumn Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch of dried basil
Pinch of cayenne pepper
5 cups mixed salad greens
4 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 1/2 cups cubed Asian pear (about 1 large)
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apple (about 1 large)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled goat cheese

Preparation

Combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Combine salad greens, romaine lettuce, Asian pear, apple, and red onion in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette, and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.

Yield

12 servings (serving size: about 1 cup salad and 1 teaspoon cheese)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 48(60% from fat); FAT 3.2g (sat 0.8g,mono 2g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 1g; CHOLESTEROL 2mg; CALCIUM 19mg; SODIUM 40mg; FIBER 1.4g; IRON 0.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.7g

Barbara Lauterbach , Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2007