One Saturday at the Farmer’s Market, I spied the new crop of Coronation grapes from Stoney Paradise** (the best), new crop pears & some fabulous looking salad greens. Right then & there I decided to create a salad for dinner that night! You can switch out the Pecorino for Gorgonzola Dolce if you like, both cheeses are personal favourites. If you miss out on the Coronation grapes, you can use other red grapes & we find local pears at the Winter Market in October, November, December & January.
Makes 4 Servings
4 cups assorted greens, including arugula & frisee
4 oz. Pecorino Fresca or Pecorino Stagianato (not Pecorino Romano), shaved
½ lb. Coronation grapes, halved
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted,** chopped coarsely
2 Anjou or Bartlett pears, preferably with red-skin, quartered, cored**, sliced lengthwise into ¼” slices
¼ lb. prosciutto, sliced, but not paper thin, cut julienne
Honey Vinaigrette:
¼ cup EVO
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 – 2 tsp. liquid honey
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
For Finishing the Salad: good quality Balsamic vinegar for drizzling
Make the Salad:
Heat a frying pan on medium heat. When hot add a small amount of EVO & fry the prosciutto until it is crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate & cool.
Whisk together the lemon juice, honey & Dijon; slowly whisk in the EVO until the dressing is combined; season to taste with salt & pepper.
Toss the salad greens with the dressing & place on 4 salad plates; top with the pear slices, prosciutto, cheese, hazelnuts & grapes. Drizzle with a small amount of Balsamic & serve immediately.
**To see how to toast the hazelnuts, please go to Toasting Nuts.
**Stoney Paradise grows absolutely to-die-for tomatoes & grapes. Available at Trout Lake Farmer’s Market & Nat Bailey Stadium Farmer’s Market in the fall.
