Asian Pear Salad with Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette

A few days ago a friend of mine brought me a rather large and imposing bag of Asian pears. Why imposing? Because I had very little idea of what to do with an Asian pear. Sure, you can eat them like an apple, but to be honest, they're not my favorite type of pear to eat plain. So what to do with them...after considerable thought, I realized they would probably make an excellent addition to a salad. And I was right. Regular pears tend to get a bit smashed and overly juicy in a tossed salad, but Asian pears, being much firmer, hold up nicely. Plus, the flavor of the vinaigrette is a nice contrast to the super sweet pear.

Try serving with fettuccine with chicken mushroom and arugula or jerk chicken.

Asian Pear Salad with Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Recipe by Kelly
Pictures by Caroline
Serves 4-6

Asian Pear Salad
1 bag mixed greens
1/2 cup lightly toasted pecans or walnuts
2 Asian pears, thinly sliced
1/4 cup crumbled blue or orgonzola cheese

1. Lightly toast pecans or walnuts by sauteing on low heat just until fragrant. Remove from heat.
   
2. In a large bowl, toss mixed greens.
   
3. Add pears, nuts, and cheese.
4. Drizzle vinaigrette over the top (to taste- just do so gradually so you don't end up with salad soup) and toss to coat.

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

1 tablespoon water

1. In a salad dressing cup or mason jar with lid, mix all ingredients.
   
2. Shake well to combine. Serve.