I had this salad at one of those cute little cafe shops in a small town in the Georgian Mountains. It was absolutely delish!
So of course the first thing that comes to my mind while eating this is how can I remake it at home.
Gorgonzola, Pear, Chicken and Walnut Salad
2 Bags Baby Mixed Greens
Chicken Breasts, Chopped Into Pieces
2 Cups Candied Walnuts (See Recipe Below)
2 Large Ripe Pears or you can caramelize them see recipe below
4 Ounces Gorgonzola Cheese
3 tbsp chopped red onions
1/3 cp chopped carrots
1/3 cp chopped tomatoes
1. Mix all the veggies in a bowl.
2. Top with chicken and then Walnuts and Pears and sprinkle with cheese.
Caramelized Walnuts
2 Cups Whole Walnuts
1/2 Cup Sugar
Place walnut and sugar in skillet and until sugar dissolves and coats all of the walnuts. Remove from heat and pour on a plate to cool.
Dressing: I used my Ranch dressing recipe Here but here is a simple not so strong dressing
1/4 Cup White Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Mix all together and stir until it's thoroughly mixed.
I am also going to toss cranberries in my salad next time with the fresh pears. I saw one recipe that caramelize the pears which I think I am going to try that next time and leave out the cranberries. Oh so many options of deliciousness.
Caramelized Pears
1 tbspn of butter
2 Pears wedged
Put butter and pears in a skillet and cook for about 8 minutes until they are golden brown and caramelized.
Picture from Italian Forever
