Winter green pear walnuts (Print Version)
Crisp winter greens combined with juicy pears, toasted walnuts, and a zesty vinaigrette.
# Recipe Ingredients:
→ Salad
01 - 3.5 oz baby kale or mixed winter greens
02 - 3.5 oz arugula
03 - 2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
04 - 2.1 oz walnuts, roughly chopped
05 - 2.1 oz crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese (optional)
06 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
07 - Seeds from 1 pomegranate (optional)
→ Dressing
08 - 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
09 - 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
10 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
11 - 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# Directions:
01 - In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast walnuts for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently until aromatic. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
02 - In a large bowl, toss together baby kale, arugula, sliced pears, red onion, pomegranate seeds if using, and cooled walnuts.
03 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and black pepper until fully emulsified.
04 - Drizzle the dressing over the salad mixture and gently toss to ensure even coating.
05 - Optionally, sprinkle crumbled blue or goat cheese atop the salad and serve immediately.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It takes less time than deciding what to watch on TV and tastes like you planned it all week.
- The pears add a juicy sweetness that balances the peppery greens and salty cheese in a way that feels almost accidental but totally intentional.
- You can toss it together with whatever you have on hand and it still looks like something from a restaurant.
02 -
- If you dress the salad too early, the greens will wilt and the pears will start to brown, so wait until the last possible minute.
- Toasting the walnuts transforms them from boring to essential, skipping this step means missing out on half the flavor.
03 -
- Use a mix of greens if you can, the combination of textures and flavors makes every bite more interesting than a single type ever could.
- If your pears are underripe, roast them with a drizzle of honey for 10 minutes to bring out their sweetness and add a warm contrast to the cold greens.