Pear and Gorgonzola Salad – A Great Thanksgiving Side

Start by setting a saucepan with a few cups of water to boil.

Toast about ½ cup of pecan pieces in a skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Shake them as they toast. Season the pecans with a pinch of salt and as soon as they become fragrant (maybe 2 minutes) take them off the heat and let them cool in the pan.

Prepare an ice bath for the green beans.

Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt to the boiling water and drop in the green beans. Let them boil for only about 2 minutes. Just until they turn brighter green and slightly soften. Then use tongs to transfer the green beans directly to the ice bath. They can stay in the ice bath until we are ready to put them on the salad.

Whisk the balsamic, oil, and Dijon mustard together until emulsified and thickened slightly. Add more Dijon if you want it thicker.

To build the salad, lay the butter lettuce leaves upturned, like little cups on the serving plate.

Gather the green beans out of the ice bath and cut them (a small bunch at a time) in half. Scatter about half of the green beans around on the lettuce.

Trim and core the pear, then slice thinly. So your pear slices don’t go brown, sprinkle the sliced pear with lemon juice. Then lay the pear slices around the the lettuce and green beans.

Scatter the last of the green beans on top. With a composed salad, we are looking for an even, harmonious placement of color and texture. After the last of the green beans are placed, scatter the toasted pecans evenly around. Follow the pecans with crumbles of the Gorgonzola. Use a large spoon to drizzle the dressing over the salad. Finish by scattering the fresh tarragon leaves.