Kale and Brandied Pear Salad with Roasted Chestnuts and Nutmeg vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 8 Oz Fresh Cut kale or baby kale
- 2 medium Fresh pears
- 1 Oz brandy or cognac
- 1/4 cup Dried Cranberries or house cured cranberries
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Chestnuts, roasted, removed from their shells and chopped
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- For Dressing
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 cup Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 3/4 cup Neutral oil, plus more for cooking the pears
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut and core the Pears. My preferred method is to cut the pear in 1/2 lengthwise, then cut those halves in half again, for 4 wedges. Then, carefully, cut the core and seeds from each wedge. Once the core is removed, cut each 1/4 into 3 to 5 wedges depending on the size of the Pear.
- heat a light coating of oil in a saute pan over high heat.Add in the pear wedges carefully in a single layer. Allow them to brown on one side, then flip them to the other for even color. Once browned, add a dash of sugar and stir. Then add the brandy and flame the pan to burn off the alcohol. Allow the pears to cool.
- Make the Dressing: Put all the ingredients except the oil in a blender. Turn on the blender at low speed and bring it up to high. Slowly drizzle the oil in until the dressing emulsifies. Set aside.
- Build your salad: Start with the Kale, add pears, nuts, and dried cranberries. Toss with the dressing or put the dressing on the side.
Notes
To roast the Chestnuts: Carefully split the soft top side of the shell on each chestnut. Cut a cross pattern (2 overlapping slits. Roast in a high heat oven until the shells split along the cuts. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough that you can remove them from the shell.
Adding goat or blue cheese is also a nice touch on this type of salad. For our vegan friends, we omitted dairy.
Toasted pepitas can be another nice addition as well.