Strawberry Pear Salad
- Mixed greens
- Fresh strawberries
- Grapes
- 1 Pear
- Candied walnuts
- Raspberries (if you bought fresh have extra after making the vinaigrette)
- 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- A small amount of basil
- Toasted baguette slices (I use whole grain)
- Goat cheese
Raspberry Vinaigrette:
In a blender or food processor, combine raspberry vinegar, raspberries, honey, and basil. Whirl for one minute or until well blended. With the motor on, add olive oil in a slow steady stream, whirling until dressing is smooth. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.
This will make about one cup.
Salad:
This is a fairly simple process. First cut the strawberries and pear into thin slices and place them to the side. Wash the greens and put them in a bowl. Mix in the grapes, walnuts, and pear slices. Pour just enough of the vinaigrette into the bowl to make the leaves look wet. You don't want a pool of excess vinaigrette on the bottom of the bowl - it can be served seperately and added to the salad. Now place the raspberries and strawberry slices on top of the salad. Since they are fairly fragile, it might not be a good idea to mix them in.
Spread some goat cheese over the baguette slices and lay along the side of the plate.