Pear salad with roasted pecans

Roasted pecans

• 3 teaspoons of molasses
• 1 teaspoon chestnut honey
• 1 tablespoon ground sumac
• 2 teaspoons premium tamari
• 1 cup pecans, shelled and whole

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix the honey and molasses together. In a saucer evenly coat the pecans with this mix.
3. Mix in the sumac. Then finish with the tamari. This makes a sticky mess, but it will be worth it.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Letting the excess coating drip off each pecan, line them up on the parchment.
6. Roast until browned and drier in the oven for 10-15 minutes, but do not let blacken. Let cool on an icing tray.

The salad

• 2 pears, cored, each one cut into ten segments, peeled or not, to your liking
• 2 ounces olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 tablespoon vinegar, pear infused
• 1 1/2-2 teaspoon chestnut honey, to taste
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, to taste
• pinch of kosher salt
• dash of fresh milled white peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon fresh Meyer lemon juice, to taste
• 1 tsp. of Domaine de Canton, Poire Williams or St. Germain, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon peeled grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup deseeded red grapes, halved, optionally peeled, recommended but optional
• 4 ounces blue cheese, Maytag, crumpled
• 4 cups seasonal petite greens such as baby spinach and arugula
• sprinkle of Maldon salt flakes

1. For a warm version of this salad roast the cut, pared pears for 15 minutes in a 450 degree oven in a baking dish lightly coated with olive oil. Otherwise prepare the fresh pears into slices, pared or with skin, your preference.
2. Emulsify the oil, vinegar, honey, and mustard in a covered jar. Add the ginger, lemon juice, optional spirit, pepper and salt to the jar and shake. Test with a greenleaf and adjust accordingly for acidity, sweetness, brightness and saltiness.
3. Lightly toss the greens with some of the dressing and plate. Next arrange the pears in a concentric pattern preferably on top. Add the peeled grapes, pecans and blue cheese. Drizzle a bit more of the dressing over this layer. Add a sprinkle of Maldon salt flakes to finish.