Warm Pear Salad with Walnuts and Parmesan Cheese

Warm Pear Salad with Walnuts and Parmesan CheeseRecipe by Dragon

You are going to LOVE this salad. Sweet, salty, crunchy and just about perfect. Who says winter salads can't be good? Not me. Enjoy!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/3 inch slices
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
Cracked black pepper
Pinch of salt
½ cup walnuts, chopped
Parmesan cheese, shaved to garnish
8 cups mesclun greens, washed and dry

Directions:
1. Combine vinegar, honey, mustard, lemon, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil. Set aside.

2. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Toss the pears slices in the sugar and add to melted butter.

3. Sauté pears until they are slightly caramelized but still firm. Add 3 turns of cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt. Remove the pears from the pan and keep warm.

4. Add walnuts to the pan and toss in the remaining butter to coat and warm through.

5. Toss the greens in enough vinaigrette to coat them. Divide the greens among the plates. Top with the pear slices and walnuts.

6. Shave some Parmesan cheese on top of the salad to garnish.

I'm sending this recipe over to Culinarty for her monthly Original Recipe roundup.