Do you have a go-to dinner party salad? If not, you should.
Having a signature dish, be it a salad, appetizer or dessert is an important thing to have for any hostess or dinner party guest.
When planning dinner parties, my dad would say “We have to invite Rosemary so she’ll bring that amazing salad.”
You see, if you have a recipe that good you’ll always make the guest list.
All my mother’s friends have mastered the art of the salad. Go to any dinner party in Berry Creek and you can expect a salad as flavorful as the main dish.
With dinner parties few and far between due to COVID-19, I’ve decided to take the time to test recipes and find my signature dinner party dishes.
To start, I’ve been collecting all my mom’s friends best salad recipes and Andrew and I are trying them out.
First up, I’m sharing Rosemary’s Pear and Gorgonzola Salad because it was my dad’s very favorite.
This salad is great because you can use candied walnuts or pecans or whatever nuts you have on hand. The trick, Rosemary says, to make it look so good is to toss the mixed greens in the dressing first then sprinkle the nuts, fruit and bleu cheese on top last so it’s not all tossed in with the lettuce.
Over the coming weeks I’ll share more signature salad recipes. Follow along and try these out to find your favorite signature dish.
Do you have a signature salad? Or another signature dish you’re known for? Share in the comments below!
Rosemary’s Pear and Gorgonzola Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup walnut halves toasted
- 4 to 6 cups torn salad greens
- ½ cup vinaigrette (recipe follows)
- 2 pears peeled, cored and sliced
- ¼ lb. gorgonzola (or other bleu cheese)
Vinaigrette Dressing
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ cup virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon shallots finely minced
- black pepper
Instructions
Salad
- Toss greens with most of the vinaigrette.
- Divide among four plates.
- Decorate with pear slices and crumbled cheese.
- Coarsely chop walnuts and put on top of salad.
- Drizzle last of the vinaigrette over top.
Vinaigrette Dressing
- To make vinaigrette, mix vinegar, salt, mustard in blender or food processor.
- Very slowly pour in oil while processor is on. Process until it thickens.
- Process until it thickens (an emulsion forms).
- Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Add shallots and pepper to taste.
Notes
My Favorite Salad Serving Bowls
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