This flavorful Pear Salad will easily become a favorite fall recipe! It's layered with tender spring greens, sweet juicy pears, crunchy candied walnuts, salty rich parmesan and a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. A highlight of any meal!
To a blender add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, diced shallot and season with salt and pepper to taste (I used a 1/4 +1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper).
Blend mixture until well emulsified, about 20 seconds. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to serve.
In a medium skillet melt butter along with brown sugar over medium heat. Once mixture has melted add walnuts and cook, stirring constantly until caramelized, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate in a single layer to cool.
Layer lettuce and pears in a large bowl and toss with dressing, then top with parmesan, dried cranberries and candied walnuts and serve (alternately just layer all the salad ingredients then drizzle with dressing. Note: top this salad with dressing just before serving as it will wilt the lettuces after a while).