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–+ servings

Chicories with Pear Vinaigrette, Parmesan & Pecans

4.50 | 2 reviews
This salad is equal parts sweet, bitter, salty and bright. All while being crisp, tender and refreshing. It's everything I want in a winter salad, plus it uses a unique twist on a pear vinaigrette to make it something truly special. This was inspired by one of my favorite restaurant salads, and I feel it has earned a restaurant-quality label!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings, as a side

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 medium bosc pear
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 medium shallot
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon honey, optional
  • 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup pecan halves
  • 1 medium head of radicchio
  • 2 small heads of red leaf lettuce, or little gem lettuce
  • 2 ounces parmesan cheese

Instructions 

  1. First, prepare the dressing in the bottom of a large bowl. Halve the pear, reserving one half for later. Use a rasp-style grater and grate the other pear half into the bottom of the large bowl. The grater should turn the pear into a paste of sorts, similar to apple sauce. The pear half should yield about 3-4 tablespoons of pear purée.
  2. Grate in the garlic cloves and the shallot to the bowl. Grate in the nutmeg, then add the honey, vinegar and oil and season with a few large pinches of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Whisk the dressing together, taste, and season with more pear (taking from the remaining half, if needed), vinegar, oil and salt as preferred. Set this bowl aside.
  3. Thinly slice the remaining pear and set aside.
  4. Reserve six pecan halves for later, and roughly chop the rest. In a medium pan over medium heat, toast the chopped nuts until they are fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
  5. Core and slice the radicchio, and tear off the lettuce leaves. Clean and dry both very well.
  6. Add the lettuces to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Add in the pear slices and pecans and toss again.
  7. Portion onto six plates and finish with a generous grating of parmesan over each salad. Use the reserved pecan halves and grate one pecan half over the parmesan for each salad. It might seem like a small tweak, but it'll make all the difference!