Holiday Pomegranate, Pear, and Grape Salad With Candied Pecans

BecR's Note:

A stunningly gorgeous salad of rich autumn colors-- perfect for Thanksgiving entertaining, and all through the holidays! My candied pecans recipe Sweet and Spicy Candied Pecans - With a Kick are absolutely wonderful in this salad!

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 cup candied pecans (see my Sweet and Spicy Candied Pecans - With a Kick)
• 1 large bunch red leaf lettuce , washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 pomegranate)
• 2 cups large dark seedless grapes , halved
• ½ cup chopped red onion
• ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
• 4 ripe red pears
• ½ cup aged balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• salt and pepper , to taste
• 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh orange zest

Directions:

1. Make candied pecans.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the pomegranate seeds, grapes, red onion, and the blue cheese.
3. Divide torn lettuce leaves among 8 salad plates, and top each salad with the fruit mixture.
4. Halve and core pears and cut into 1/2-inch slices-- put a pear half, skin side up, in the center of each salad.
5. Arrange candied pecans around the pears.
6. Just before serving, heat balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, cooking and stirring until brown sugar dissolves. Off the heat, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Drizzle warm dressing over each salad, sprinkle with orange zest, and serve right away.

Reviews

[Chicagoland Chef du Jour]

I have had this recipe marked for ages and was waiting for poms to be in season. It was worth the wait! OMG, this is a gorgeous & yummy salad! I love the pop & slight crunch of the pom seeds. They are not sweet so it is a great contrast to the sweet pears. I used bartlett pears because my red pears were not ripe. The dressing is amazing and not overly sweet, just perfect with this salad. I used both baby arugula and red leaf lettuce. I forgot to top with blue cheese for our dinner but we didn't miss it. I did add it to the salad the following day and YUM! So it's good both ways. if you are not a fan of blue cheese, no worries. Be sure to check out my recipe for removing pomegranate seeds, it works like a dream! Seeding a Pomegranate - Step by Step