Autumn Chopped Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Like a lot of people I know, I’m addicted to Pinterest. I enjoy it not just for recipes, but also for crafts and home decoration ideas. But mostly, if I’m being completely honest, for recipes. The recipes I may actually do something with. Finding the time to craft and redecorate is much harder. But finding the time to make this salad was easy!

I absolutely loved all the flavors of this salad. It’s composed of pears, bacon, quick-candied pecans, dried cranberries, and feta cheese, all tossed with crispy romaine and drizzled with maple vinaigrette. The pears and pecans provide sweetness, the bacon and feta give it saltiness, and the cranberries and the vinaigrette provide another level of tangy sweetness. What a delicious ode to the flavors of autumn.

Joe was pleasantly surprised by the salad, too. I don’t think he expected to like it, but he really did – especially the dressing, which I threw together on a whim instead of using the poppy seed dressing and balsamic vinaigrette called for in the original recipe. I thought the maple would work really well with the other flavors, and it did. We both loved this, and we’d planned to eat the leftovers for lunch the next day…but there were none. That’s how good it was!

Autumn Chopped Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
salad adapted from Espresso and Cream; dressing is my recipe

For the salad:

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Pinch of cinnamon
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 medium pear, thinly sliced
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
1 cup dried cranberries
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

For the maple vinaigrette:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add pecans and cook until lightly toasted and fragrant. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook until slightly caramelized. Remove from heat to cool.

2. In a large bowl or on a serving platter, combine the lettuce, pear, bacon, cranberries and feta cheese. Stir in pecans.

3. To make the dressing, whisk together the vinegar and maple syrup. Whisk in olive oil until thoroughly combined. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Drizzle dressing over salad.

One year ago: Mint cookies and cream ice cream

Ginger Pear Chicken

I have to laugh at this photo, because it is so unbelievably bad. The lighting is horrible, and the picture totally looks like it belongs in one of those cookbooks from the ‘70s or ‘80s. Oh, the perils of winter are numerous for a food blogger. (Yes, I made this back in…December, I think?)

Anyway, regardless of the photo quality: This chicken is good stuff. Unlike a lot of people, I am definitely a fan of fruit in savory dishes, and I loved the combination of pears and chicken in this recipe. The ginger ale adds a wonderful spiciness to the dish, and the brown sugar highlights the sweetness of the pears perfectly. It’s really a great flavor profile.

In addition to being delicious, it’s ready in about 30 minutes and it’s budget-friendly. Both of my boys and my husband really liked this, and I did too, so I’ll definitely make it again. I served this with steamed broccoli and rice pilaf, although next time I’ll definitely serve it over plain white or brown rice to soak up the delicious sauce.

Ginger Pear Chicken
adapted from Taste of Home Cooking School 50th Anniversary Cookbook

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
1 16-ounce can pear halves in syrup, drained and syrup reserved
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 cups ginger ale

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper to taste; add to skillet and brown on all sides.

2. Meanwhile, chop pears into bite-size pieces. In a separate bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups pear syrup, pear pieces, soy sauce, ginger ale, ginger, and brown sugar. Pour into skillet and simmer 20 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, combine corn starch and water and add to skillet; cook over medium heat until sauce is thickened. Serve over cooked rice.

Walnut Pear Sour Cream Coffee Cake

The house where I grew up had an enormous back yard, and at the very edge of the property was a pear tree that produced a lot of fruit, year after year. Every year, as soon as fall arrived, my brother and I were out there collecting the harvest. They were the best pears I've ever tasted, impossibly sweet and juicy. We always had more fruit than we knew what to do with, but my mom always loved trying to come up with new ways to use them. She canned them, dried them, paired them with pork chops and chicken, and baked with them a lot. So while other kids were celebrating the arrival of fall with pumpkins and apples, my brother and I were celebrating it with pears. To this day, I have to say that pears are my favorite autumn fruit.

My love of pears is what initially drew me to this cake. And it actually ended up reminding me a lot of the pear streusel muffins my mom used to make when I was a kid. Needless to say, I absolutely loved it. It came out a little dry, but I think that's only because I cooked it a little longer than I should have (the recipe calls for a 9-inch springform pan, but mine is 10 inches). I think streusel is one of the world's most perfect culinary creations, and it worked so well with the sweet, soft pears in this recipe. I'm filing this one away to make every single autumn.

Walnut Pear Sour Cream Coffee Cake
source: Better Homes and Gardens

1 cup broken walnuts
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan or 9 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Combine the 1 cup nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon. For topping, cut the 1/4 cup butter into 1/3 cup flour to make coarse crumbs. Stir in 3/4 cup of the nut mixture. Set nut mixture and topping aside.

2. Toss pears with lemon juice; set aside. In a medium bowl combine the 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl beat 1/2 cup butter with electric mixer 30 seconds. Beat in granulated sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately to batter. Beat on low speed after each addition until combined.

3. Spread two-thirds batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with reserved nut mixture. Layer pears over top. Gently spread remaining batter over pears. Sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake 10 minutes. For a chunky top, sprinkle with 1/2 cup more nuts. Bake 45 to 50 minutes more or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Remove sides of springform pan, if using. Cool at least 1 hour. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.