Рецепт Vertical Pear Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette...
We're getting ready...the suitcases have been pulled from the dark recesses of the cave (the closet under the stairs) and our passports have been removed from the safe (a plastic box with a lock and Hello Kitty on the front.) The mister even purchased new shoes for the trip and because he doesn't want them to be tarnished before we leave, the minute he gets home from work he changes into his trip shoes and then walks around the house in them at night - in his pajamas - singing Frere Jacques...
I should have warned you, that song tends to stick in ones head! But you can hum or whistle it while you make this incredible salad!
After cooking the bacon, reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings for the dressing...that's right, bacon drippings are in the dressing...which means you're going to love it! The dressing recipe is from Alton Brown, and you know he would not serve up anything less than wonderful! Serving the salad vertically makes a very impressive statement...and using an apple works just as well and tastes just as good...try this one - you'll get your fruit and veggies all at once!
Vertical Pear Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette - Adapted from Alton Brown and Better Homes and Gardens (The vertical salad idea came from Better Homes and Gardens)
For the Salad:
- 6 cups greens or Romaine hearts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 lb. bacon, cooked till crisp then crumbled
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 4 pears (or apples)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice for keeping fruit from turning brown
- Bacon Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Make Vinaigrette: In a blender, combine all ingredients, or you can make this in a small glass bowl and whisk ingredients together. It's easier to form emulsion in a blender, however. If whisking by hand, add oil very slowly as you whisk. Reserve at room temperature.
Make Salad: In a large salad bowl, combine salad greens, red onion, crumbled bacon, dried cherries, pecans and Parmesan cheese; toss well. Prepare pears/apples by cutting fruit into three or four slices leaving the stem on the top piece. Using a corer, (or a very small cookie cutter, which is what I used) remove the core - the fruit should look like the letter "O." If needed, take a very small slice from the bottom of the pear so it will sit up straight on a plate. If you're not going to assemble the fruit/salad right away, put fruit slices into a bowl with 1/4 cup cold water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, to keep from turning brown.
Assemble salad by setting base of fruit onto plate. Push salad into the center hole and in between slices as you re-assemble the fruit, topping off the salad with the top of pear. Then, add more salad around the plate. Drizzle salad dressing over pear and around salad on the plate. Serves 4.