Northwest Autumn Salad
I made this salad for the first time last week for the tennis ladies and it seemed to be a hit, so I made it for the family a few days later. Mr. D. loved it so much he tried to make it for himself, candied pecans and all. It is kind of weird (in a good way) that a 13 year old would like a salad so much…….Anyways, I hope your kids like it as much as Mr. D. I based this recipe on one I found in the Seattle Junior League Simply Classic Cookbook. The original called for red delicious apples and I substituted bartlett pears for them. The first time I made it I used the original blue cheese that the recipe called for and the second time, out of blue cheese, I substituted goat cheese for magnificent results.
Candied Pecans (for Northwest Autumn Salad)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 T. butter
- 1/4 t. salt
Cooking Directions:
- Stir together nuts, sugar, butter and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly for 8 to 10 minutes or until sugar melts and turns golden brown.
- Spread mixture in a single layer on lightly greased waxed paper. Cool and break into pieces.
Northwest Autumn Salad
Adapted from Simply Classic- The Junior League of Seattle
Ingredients:
- 1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
- 1-2 heads bibb lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces
- 2 bartlett pears, thinly slices and cut up
- 3/4 cup glazed pecans, chopped -see recipe above
- 3/4 cup blue cheese (or goat cheese), crumbled
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 2 T. shallot, minced
- 1 T. maple syrup
- 2 T. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/4 t. pepper
- 1/4 t. salt
Cooking Directions:
- For dressing: Mix together oil, vinegar, shallot, syrup,lemon juice, salt and pepper until emulsified.
- Toss together lettuces, pears, pecans, cheese and dressing.
- Serve immediately.
{ 9 comments… add one }
Thanks, Bobbi!
Gorgeous picture, Joan. Maybe one of my favorites. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that this salad is a Christmas Dinner staple at the Ginder house or maybe it’s just a perfectly composed picture. Either way, I love what you’re doing. Keep up the great work. = )
Well, it must have been good because when I went downstairs this morning it was all gone. Emma scolded me for making fattening food. She ate almost the whole thing!!!
I think next time I would make crumble bottom AND top. I’m with Drake, I like the crumble stuff.
Interesting! It will be more like an apple crisp. Tell me how it is….
Awesome, I just made a huge batch of white chili. Thanks, Molly for the suggestion!!!
PS Joan, I just made your Apple/Cran Crumble pie, but didn’t use a bottom crust. Put it in a pyrex 10 x 8 pan and covered it with a very generous amount of crumb topping–probably to Drake’s liking. Haven’t tried it yet, it’s still cooling, but I figure without a bottom crust, we can have more ice cream with it!
Oh, Molly, great minds think alike. Mount Rainier Chicken Chili has been made, eaten and photographed -it’s just waiting for me to post. This is a great salad!
It will- I think anything with candied pecans brings me to nirvana!
This is my all time go to favorite salad. It goes well with the Junior League Mount Rainier Chicken Chili. A perfect fall pairing and great for a crowd!
Cool photo–looks like the bowl is floating in the clouds. Perhaps this salad will bring us to a state of nirvana.