Spinach Salad with Poached Pears and Fig Vinaigrette
The Nitty Gritty:
An elegant start to a special-occasion meal.- Level: 2
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Yields: 4 servings
- Tags: salad
You may wonder why you’d go to such trouble for a salad, but the results are worth the effort (and the poached pears fill your kitchen with fantastic smells while cooking)! The toasted pecans and mild goat cheese really bring out the pears’ vanilla flavor. If you wanted to make a meal out of this salad, throw a chicken or turkey cutlet on top.
Fig jam is sold at most natural and specialty food stores, such as Whole Foods. You can also order it online from Stonewall Kitchen, one of our favorite shops. You can also substitute raspberry jam.
Ingredients:
- 5 oz. baby spinach, washed
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans
- 1 cup mild, crumbled goat cheese
- 2 whole Anjou pears, seeded, peeled, and sliced into thin wedges
- 2 cups dry white wine
- Juice and zest from 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. shallots, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
- 1 ½ Tbsp. fig jam
- 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Instructions:
- Bring wine to a boil in a medium pot. Add lemon juice, zest, vanilla and sugar; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add pear slices and cover pot, reducing heat to low and "poaching" for about 15 minutes -- until pears are tender but not falling apart.
- Meanwhile, whisk shallots, mustard, jam, and vinegar in a small bowl to start the vinaigrette. Place pecans on a piece of aluminum foil and toast in a toaster oven for 5 minutes (watch carefully and don't let them burn!).
- Using a slotted spoon, retrieve the pears and set aside in small bowl, keeping the liquid in the pot. Increase heat and boil until the liquid reduces to a syrup. (Again, be watchful, as the reducing process takes a while, but once it gets going, it goes FAST).
- Add 1 Tbsp. of the reduction you've just created to the vinaigrette and whisk until blended. Gradually whisk in olive oil, then add salt & pepper to taste.
- Arrange the baby spinach among four plates and top with goat cheese, toasted pecans, and pear slices. Divide the vinaigrette among the four plates (or serve on the side). Drizzle any remaining reduction on plates and serve.
Comments
By Lauren McNally
Lauren B. McNally is a New York based consultant and freelance writer who spends most of her free time exploring culinary and oenological pursuits with friends. She originally hails from Maine and graduated from Bowdoin College,spending time abroad at the University of Cambridge in the UK (where she found the dining hall cuisine rather offensive and repulsive, as opposed to the top-ranked Bowdoin Dining Services). Her palate is ever-evolving but Burgundies are among her current obsessions. Her least favorite wine-related phrase: “I don’t like _.” Lauren also enjoys cooking Italian and French cuisine, and has an unnatural obsession with Gorgonzola and pancetta.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is published the first Friday of each month, edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
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