Candied-Walnut, Pear and Leafy Green Salad

Ok so I've had this for lunch two weeks in a row, can you say delicious?  I'm normally not a walnut person but these candied walnuts provide such a sweet crunch that's to die for.  The balsamic really complements the pears and walnuts really well.

I did make two lazy changes, which was to use Wegman's white balsamic dressing instead of making the dressing in the recipe, and to use a pre-mixed salad bag instead of mixing it at home(who has time for that).  Since I'm from NY, I love everything Wegman's and I had it in my fridge so I figured why make things more difficult for myself.  If you can find it, this dressing is excellent! 

We also had this on the side for dinner on Saturday with the in-laws (other recipes to come). I will be doing as the author suggests and make extra batches of the nuts around the holidays to give out!  I didn't try the wine paring with this but I'll have to next time.

As of today's post, 7 people gave this an average rating of 5 out of 5!

I hope you enjoy this in your home as much as we did in ours!

Recipe by Cooking Light, November 2009

The sweet, crunchy nuts are great on their own--make a double batch, and give some as a gift.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1/3  cup  sugar
• 2/3  cup  chopped walnuts, toasted
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt, divided
• 2  tablespoons  white balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  Dijon mustard
• 3  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  capers, chopped
• 4  cups  torn green leaf lettuce
• 4  cups  chopped romaine lettuce
• 4  cups  chopped radicchio
• 1  ripe red Anjou pear, thinly sliced
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Place sugar in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring gently as needed to dissolve sugar evenly (about 1 minute). Continue cooking 1 minute or until golden (do not stir). Remove from heat; carefully stir in nuts to coat evenly. Spread nuts on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; separate nuts quickly. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside until cool; break into small pieces.
2. Combine vinegar and mustard, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in capers.
3. Combine lettuces and radicchio; top with pear and candied walnuts. Drizzle dressing evenly over salad; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
Wine note: I favor a crisp white with almost any green salad, and Candied Walnut, Pear, and Leafy Green Salad is no exception. 2007 Pinon Vouvray Cuvée Tradition ($16) has a gorgeous nose of honey and lemon peel that resonates perfectly with the candied nuts and pears. --Gary Vaynerchuck

Nutritional Information

Calories: 171

Fat: 11.6g (sat 1.3g,mono 4.6g,poly 5.2g)

Protein: 2.7g

Carbohydrate: 16.3g

Fiber: 2.6g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Iron: 1mg

Sodium: 177mg

Calcium: 37mg