Baby Bleu Salad with Sweet & Spicy Pecans

Before I left for Japan to rendezvous with my sweet sailor many moons ago, my dear friend’s mother made dinner for us. I still remember that dinner fondly — not just for the great company, but also for this amazing salad.

I admit I was a bit intimidated by the ingredients at first: a green salad with fragrant bleu cheese mixed with sweet and spicy nuts?! Does fruit even belong in a green salad?!

My goodness, let me tell you emphatically, YES!

She made it with fresh plums that were in season. Other than that, I don’t remember what else was served that evening because when I put that first forkful of salad into my mouth, the flavor combinations danced off of my tongue. I happily inhaled the remainder of the bowl, and she was kind enough to share the recipe with me.

I’ve made this salad several times since, and everyone that has ever taken a forkful has fallen in love with it, too. I guess you’re just going to have to try it to believe it. And then you’ll thank me for sharing this awesome recipe with you!

Step-by-Step Instructions

First, dissolve sugar in warm water in a bowl. Add pecans and let soak for ten minutes.

I often make extra as the pecans are a satisfying snack on their own. Just store them at room temperature in an airtight container for a day or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Push the pecans down into the water so they all absorb the sweetness. Look at that: getting sweeter by the second.

Next, add sugar, chili powder and ground red pepper to a plastic container. Cover and shake to mix the sugar/seasonings together well.

After the allotted 10 minutes, drain pecans and add to the plastic container with the sugar/seasonings. Toss to coat. Spread pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If they’re bunched up, they’ll still be a little moist and mushy when they come out of the oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Let stand until cool.

Next, prepare the salad dressing by mincing a small shallot and a clove of garlic and adding them to a medium bowl. Then add balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper and whisk until well combined. Lastly, whisk in olive oil. Perfection.

Both the sweet and spicy pecans and Dijon vinaigrette can be made in advance, which is helpful for busy folks.

When you’re ready to put the salad together, add a bag of baby spinach or other salad greens and the bleu cheese crumbles to a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Top with fresh strawberries and the sweet and spicy pecans. Yum!

If you’d rather, you can put the salad together and leave the dressing separate for others to decide how much to put on. Either way renders delicious results.

This salad pairs wonderfully with a sizzling grilled steak — the bleu cheese melds beautifully, — and is terrific for dinner parties. Enjoy! — v.

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Baby Bleu Salad with Sweet & Spicy Pecans

July 30, 2015

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By: v.

Ingredients

• SWEET & SPICY PECANS
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar, divided
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper
• 
  DIJON VINAIGRETTE
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 
  SALAD
• 12 oz baby spinach, or other salad greens
• 2-4 oz bleu cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 pint fresh strawberries, or other fresh seasonal fruit, hulled and quartered

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Step 2 For the pecans: in a medium bowl, dissolve 1/4 cup sugar in warm water, mixing well. Stir in pecans and let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 2 Tbsp sugar, chili powder and ground red pepper in a plastic container and mix well. Drain pecans, then add to plastic container. Toss to coat.
• Step 3 Spread pecans in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Let stand until cool. Pecans can be prepared a day in advance and stored in an airtight container.
• Step 4 For the vinaigrette: whisk vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl until well combined. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Vinaigrette can be prepared a day in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator. Whisk well before serving.
• Step 5 For the salad: toss baby spinach with vinaigrette and bleu cheese in a large bowl. Top with strawberries and sprinkle with pecans. Enjoy!
  
  This recipe is adapted from Junior League of Denver, Colorado Colore: A Palate of Tastes, 2002.