Pear Salad with Bourbon Candied Bacon and Spiced Pecans
Incredibly flavorful, pear salad with bourbon candied bacon, spiced pecans, goat cheese, and pomegranate arils.
Equipment
- Baking Wire Rack
Ingredients
Bourbon Candied Bacon
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 1 pound thick cut bacon
Spiced Pecans
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
Roasted Pear Vinaigrette
- 1 large Anjou pear peeled, cored, cut in half
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon shallot finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons honey
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Salad
- 1 head red-leaf or romaine lettuce washed and roughly chopped
- 2 Anjou pears cored and thinly sliced
- 6 ounces goat cheese
- ¼ red onion finely chopped
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
Bourbon Candied Bacon
- In a small bowl, whisk together the bacon glaze mixture; brown sugar, maple syrup, and bourbon. Add the bacon to the mixture and toss until evenly coated. Place the bacon strips on a lined baking sheet with a wire rack. Cook for 18 minutes, then flip and brush with the remaining glaze. Cook for 18 more minutes. Let bacon cool. Once bacon is cooled, chop into large chunks.
Spiced Pecans
- Spread the pecans evenly in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes. While nuts are roasting combine, cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. Transfer the roasted nuts to a bowl while still hot and toss in the butter, brown sugar, and spice mixture. Lay them back on the baking sheet to dry.
Roasted Pear Vinaigrette
- Place the pear halves on a baking sheet and drizzle with one tablespoon of the olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes, then let cool for at least 5 minutes. In a blender, place the roasted pear, remaining ⅓ cup olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, shallot, honey, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
Assemble Salad
- To assemble, place the lettuce in a large bowl, top with sliced pears, spiced pecans, bourbon candied bacon, goat cheese, pomegranate arils, and red onion. Drizzle with roasted pear vinaigrette and toss.