Pear and Pomegranate Salad

 One of the best things about fall and winter is having pomegranates, the jewel of my garden. 

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Pear and Pomegranate Salad

Adapted from:  Autumn Gatherings by Rick Rodgers

Serves 4-6

Pomegranate Vinaigrette:

1 1/2 T sherry vinegar (or white wine vinegar if that is what you have)

2T bottled pomegranate juice (or 1 T pomegranate molasses)

1/4 teas salt

1/8 teas freshly ground pepper

1/3 c vegetable oil

2 T walnut oil

Salad:

2 ripe pears, cored and cut lengthwise into thin wedges (red pears are particularly pretty)

1/3 c pomegranate seeds

1/3 c walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

5 ounces mixed greens, including some lettuce

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place all the vinaigrette ingredients into a pint jar and briskly shake until emulsified. If you use pomegranate molasses you will need to shake it again just before dressing the salad.

In a bowl, place the pear slices with the walnuts and mix with about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette.

Mix the salad greens with the remaining vinaigrette and toss well until all pieces are covered. Gently stir in the pear/walnut mixture and toss. Taste for seasonings and if needed add salt or pepper. Sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds.  This salad is best served as soon after mixing as possible. 

Notes: 

I like to compose this salad on plates since there are just two of us at most meals. If you mix the salad in a bowl, it might be better to cut the pears into chunks.

If you have a hard time finding the ingredients for the salad try to substitute with similar items. I have used raspberry juice or grape juice instead of the pomegranate. In a pinch you could use olive oil rather than walnut oil. It would be a shame if you didn't make this beautiful salad because of supply train issues.  

Pear and Spice Muffins

A bumper crop on my pear tree had me scrambling for recipes this fall. This one is a good one. 

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Pear and Spice Muffins

Adapted from The Washington Post
Yields 12 muffins

4000-5000 ft. altitude adjustments:

add 1 T flour
subtract 1 T sugar

1/3 c neutral-tasting oil, plus more for the pan
1 1/2 c whole-wheat pastry flour or white-wheat flour
2 teas baking powder
1/4 teas baking soda
1/2 teas salt
1 teas ground cinnamon
1/2 teas ground ginger
1/4 teas ground cloves
2 large eggs
3/4 c dark brown sugar
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1 teas vanilla extract
1 c low-fat buttermilk
1 medium, firm but ripe pear, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4" pieces
1/2 c chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Prepare your oven by placing a rack in the middle and heating to 400F. Spray a muffin tin with baking spray or brush with oil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. 

In another bowl, stir together the oil and eggs until well blended. Add the brown sugar, applesauce, and vanilla. Then add half of the flour mixture, and followed by half of the buttermilk. Stir until incorporated and add the remaining flour and remaining buttermilk. Don't overmix. Stir in the chopped pears and nuts gently.

Evenly portion the batter into the muffin tins. Bake for 18 minutes, approximately, and test with a toothpick  to see if it comes out clean. If so, they are finished. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes. You may need to loosen the muffins with a knife before serving. 

Notes: 

I had some pear sauce on hand after making pear butter. I substituted that for the apple sauce and it worked beautifully. 

I believe you could skip the peeling and chopping steps by coring the pear and grating it.