Pear Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

This is one of my favorite salads and it is truly addictive and unbelievably tasty. This fresh blend of spring salad greens, arugula, candied walnuts and feta cheese is absolutely bursting with flavor. I toss the salad with vinaigrette and then stack it vertically on pear slices. This makes an amazing presentation and is perfect for Thanksgiving, although I love to eat this throughout the year. 

I have tried it with various vinaigrette's and it is a very versatile salad that pairswell with just about any vinaigrette. I experimented with maple and it marries well with the ingredients in this salad. The dressing adds a nice hint of sweetness, so if you prefer plain walnuts rather than candied ones, those work out great as well.

Start with fresh Arugula

Spring Salad Mix

Crisp Juicy Pears

Walnuts

Add a hint of Feta Cheese and voila!

Ingredients

4 Bosc or D'Anjou Pears 

1 package washed spring salad greens

1 cup fresh arugula

2/3 cup candied walnuts (the Trader Joe walnuts are pretty tasty)

2 ounces Feta Cheese 

Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Directions:

Whisk all Vinaigrette ingredients until well blended and emulsified. Toss with salad greens add walnuts and cheese and set aside. Wash and dry the pears. Slice the pear vertically into three slices. Be sure to slice a small piece from bottom piece so that it sits flat vertically. Spoon salad onto each piece and stack until fully assembled.

Almost to pretty to eat:-)

Bon Appetit!