Gret's Fresh Pear and Maytag Farms Blue Cheese Salad with a Toasted Walnut Vinaigrette

This salad is a snap to prepare and is always a hit! Perfect in summer or winter, I have used it for Christmas Day and backyard BBQs. Enjoy!

Recipe Summary

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 1/2 cups walnut oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 cups mixed organic spring lettuces, cleaned
• 6 fresh ripe pears (I use Bosc), cored and thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound Maytag Farms blue cheese (buy the good stuff!), crumbled
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and roast until golden, about 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in a medium-mixing bowl. Add the vinegar, honey, and shallots to the warm nuts. Allow to sit for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large mixing bowl, toss the lettuces with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Fan the pears over the bottom of each serving plate. Mound the greens in the center of the pears. Crumble the cheese over the greens. Garnish with black pepper and parsley.