Ryan and I were invited over for dinner a couple of times last weekend. Both invites asked us to bring a salad, so we pulled out our salad book, found one that fit well and made some changes. Both couples that invited us over have good taste in food and have traveled a lot. It’s hard to know what to bring that will be received well in situations like this. Here’s what we came up with:
It looks amazing, doesn’t it? It’s very simple and has some amazing flavor. You’ll look effortlessly talented.
Ingredients:
- 5 slices of bacon
- 2 ripe Bartlett pears
- 5 cups watercress or spinach
- Jamaican Jerk seasoning
- 1/2 cup walnuts
Dressing:
- 3 Tbs olive oil
- 3 Tbs lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp honey (creamed is best)
- ground ginger
- balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven broiler to high. Arrange bacon on tin-foil covered cookie sheet and sprinkle Jerk seasoning generously. Watch carefully so that the broiler doesn’t burn the bacon. Flip bacon when it looks halfway done, sprinkle Jerk seasoning on the uncooked side.Finish cooking, then allow to cool. Tear into 1/2 – 1/4 inch pieces.
Dry-fry walnuts in a skillet on medium heat for three minutes, or until browned.
Cut pear into slices, toss in extralemon juice to prevent browning.
To make the dressing, combine olive oil, lemon juice, and honey in a bowl; whisk until well-mixed. Add a few drops of balsamic vinegar, and season with salt, pepper, and ginger to taste. Dressing should be sweet, yet have a zing.
You can toss all together in a bowl, but I think the results end up being more presentable and the flavors more completely balanced when you arrange on individual plates.
This is an easy recipe that is sure to become a crowd favorite.
Dan's Dishes 