2 large heads of romaine lettuce
5 oz of blue cheese
1 large can of mandarin oranges ~ drained
1 pint fresh strawberries ~ sliced
Candied Pecans ~ recipe to follow
White Balsamic Vinaigrette ~ recipe to follow
I slice the romaine lettuce really thin. Put romaine on a nice platter then top with blue cheese, oranges, sliced strawberries, and candied pecans. You can cover and put in the refrigerator at this point to hold for a while. Do not put dressing on until right before serving.
White Balsamic Dressing
1/4 cup of white balsamic vinegar ~ Trader Joes
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoon fresh mince garlic
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon fresh chopped chives
3/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
I make this dressing in the food processor. I start the machine running and then add the whole peeled garlic cloves while it is running this minces it up so beautifully and is so, so easy. Then while still running throw in the peeled shallots and wal la all minced perfectly. Stop the machine and then add the vinegar, mustard, honey and chives to the processor bowl and process until nice and creamy! Then add the olive oil in a small stream until all is incorporated to the dressing. Wonderful! This will keep for a week or two in the refrigerator.
Candied Pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup of water
1 cup of whole pecans
2 tablespoon white sugar
pinch of salt
Put water on to boil and once boiling add your brown sugar and stir until melted. Once melted turn off heat and add your pecans. Soak the pecans in the sugar water for at least 10 minutes. Drain and discard the water mixture. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Toss pecans in the 2 tablespoons of white sugar in a bowl and then lay on baking sheet. I spread them out and turn them up nicely. I sprinkle with a little fine salt. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes cool and ready to use. 
[…] Candied Pecans on salad recipe […]