Culinary Cory

Recipes + Essays

Dried Asian Pear Salad

Dried Asian Pear Salad

I believe the best salads happen when I clean out the cupboards. That’s exactly what happened here. I always have spring greens and carrots on hand. The dried Asian pears were extra samples from an event I hosted. Leftover from a recent batch of cookies I whipped together for work, the dried cranberries and candied pecans added the perfect balance of tart and crunch. Of course, you can’t go wrong with the Maple Dijon Vinaigrette. It’s my favorite.

Dried Asian Pear Salad

Dried Asian Pear Salad

1 (9 oz) package spring greens
2/3 cup dried Asian pears
½ cup candied pecans, roughly chopped
¾ cup shredded carrots
½ cup dried cranberries

Maple-Cider Vinaigrette

1/3 cup cider vinegar 
2 Tbl. pure maple syrup 
1 Tbl. Dijon mustard 
2/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Instructions

Add the spring mix, dried Asian pears, pecans, carrots and cranberries to a large salad bowl.

For the vinaigrette: whisk the cider vinegar, maple syrup and Dijon mustard in a small mixing bowl. Continue to vigorously whisk while slowly pouring the olive oil into the mixture until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour half of the vinaigrette over the salad mixture. Toss until well combined. Add additional vinaigrette, if needed.

Notes

If you can’t find dried Asian pears nearby, you can buy them at Subarashii Kudamono. Believe it or not, they are grown and shipped directly from the orchards in Pennsylvania.