Tom's Pear Salad with Candied Walnuts and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Tom's Pear Salad with Candied Walnuts and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• Balsamic Vinaigrette
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 Tbsp Celia's Traditional Dark Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbsp finely diced shallot
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Salad
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 Tbsp salted butter
• 1 Tbsp packed light-brown sugar
• 7 oz Spring Salad & Spinach blend
• 2 oz Parmesan cheese, shaved
• 2 Pears, sliced thin (Bartlett or Anjou are great)
• 1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries

Directions

1. To a blender add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, diced shallot and season with salt and pepper to taste (I used a 1/4 +1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper).
2. Blend mixture until well emulsified, about 20 seconds. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to serve.
3. In a medium skillet melt butter along with brown sugar over medium heat. Once mixture has melted add walnuts and cook, stirring constantly until caramelized, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate in a single layer to cool.
4. Layer lettuce and pears in a large bowl and toss with dressing, then top with Parmesan, dried cranberries and candied walnuts and serve (alternately just layer all the salad ingredients then drizzle with dressing.