Poached Pear Salad With Fresh Spinach
This poached pear salad with fresh spinach is a beautiful salad to serve and even more delicious to eat.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
Poached pears
- 2 pears
- 1 quart water
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Candied walnuts
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Maple dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper adjust as needed
Salad
- 6 cups fresh spinach
- 4-6 ounces goat cheese or more if you want
Instructions
Poached pears
- Bring the water, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and set it to simmer.
- While the liquid is heating, peel the pears and cut them in half.
- Gently add the to the water and cover with the parchment circle. Let this cook, pressing them down occasionally until the pears are tender.
- With a slotted spoon remove them from the liquid and let them cool.
Candied walnuts
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until the walnuts are covered and well blended.
- Pour onto the pan and spread into a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and cool.
- Chop into large pieces or leave it whole.
Assembling the salad
- Place 1 ½ cups spinach on each serving plate. Top each pile of spinach with a poached pear. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts and goat cheese.
- Mix the dressing and drizzle it over each salad. Serve immediately.