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2 minutes ago, David Ross said:

Some of you may know of this Holiday salad.  I've been making different versions of it for years.  Going back to when I was growing up, we never had a green salad for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Thanksgiving and Christmas always started with a shrimp and fresh Dungeness Crab cocktail.  The salad was Mother's special frozen concoction of cream cheese, cranberries and I think some type of gelatin.

 

I prefer a green salad for the fresh, clean flavors and it seems a less heavier alternative to the salads of the past.  It's really versatile and you can use apples instead of pears, use hazelnuts or walnuts in place of the pecans.  I like bleu cheese, but I think goat cheese would also work well.  Maybe a soft triple cream might be good.  And I like this style of salad if we're serving beef or a roast duck.

 

Ingredients-

4 cups mixed baby salad greens

2/3 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup raw hazelnuts, unsalted

1 large red bosc pear, cut in half, cored and thinly sliced

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

black pepper to taste

 

Instructions-

Toast the Hazelnuts-

-Heat the oven to 375.  Spread the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet.  Roast the hazelnuts until they start to turn golden, about 7-8 minutes.  Remove the hazelnuts from the oven and spread on a kitchen towel.  Cover with another towel and rub the hazelnuts between the towels to remove the skins.  Roughly chop the hazelnuts.

 

Glaze the Dried Cranberries-

-In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the balsamic vinegar and the dried cranberries. Cook until the vinegar is reduced by half and the texture of runny syrup, about 10 minutes. If the balsamic gets too thick, add a little water and stir. The glazed cranberries will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to two weeks. 

 

Slice the Pears and Assemble the Salad-

-Cut the pear in half and scoop out the core.  I leave the pear unpeeled but it’s your choice. Use a paring knife to cut out the middle stem.  Cut the pear halves in half, leaving you with4 pear quarters.  Cut the pears into thick slices, (I use a mandoline to slice the pears). Place the pear slices in a bowl and gently toss with lemon juice to keep from browning while you finish the salad.

-Place the mixed baby salad greens in a large serving bowl.  Add the glazed cranberries, toasted hazelnuts, sliced pear and bleu cheese. Drizzle in the olive oil and gently toss to combine the ingredients. Season with black pepper.

Wow. That is a lot of olive oil!