Recipe Hunting 101 - Roasted Pear & Spinach Salad

I had a realization today as I was out shopping for the ingredients for today's dish.  I realized, I have never ever bought a pear before, let alone prepared one.  I have only ever bought my pears, chopped up in a can, swimming in syrup.  The fact that I haven't prepared a pear before is pretty much unconscionable because I have a pear tree in my backyard and I won't eat from it.  I wait for all the fruit to drop to the ground and then I toss the rotten fruit away.  I refuse to eat them because for some reason I am worried they will be all wormy.  Silly and wasteful, I know, but I would absolutely freak out  if I were to bite into one and got a worm.  UGHH!  Maybe this year I will have my fruit trees sprayed to lessen the likely hood of icky worms and also work on getting over this irrational fear of mine in the meantime.

Recipe Hunting 101 - Roasted Pear & Spinach Salad - recipe found onYumSugar

Salad Ingredients:

1 pear, ripe but firm, peeled cored and sliced into wedges

drizzle of oil

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups baby spinach

1/4 cup almonds

French Baguette

Blue Cheese

Dijon Vinaigrette Ingredients:

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Toss sliced pear wedges in small bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, salt & pepper. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes. 

2.  In a small bowl, wisk garlic, dijon mustard, lemon juice, oil, salt & pepper. 

3.  Toss the spinach with the dressing, almonds and pears.  Serve with a french baguette, sliced and toasted in the oven with some blue cheese melted on top.