Ah summer. When I was a kid summer was THE BEST. School was out, the weather was great, there were more things to do and everyone had plenty of time. I grew up in Michigan, and summer was definitely my favorite time of year. I remember swimming and bonfires and camping and FOOD. It was magical. We even ate differently in the summer. Fresh fruits and vegetables were plentiful, whereas they really weren't even available throughout the rest of the year.

As I grew older I somehow lost that summer magic. I moved to southern California with my husband and 3 kids, and summer became just another season, so much like the other seasons. I did my best to create the magic while my kids were young, but by the time they were grown it was gone.

Last year I caught myself dreading summer, and actually heard myself saying the words, "I hate summer." I realized it was time for an intervention. I made a "Summer To Do List" and forced myself to get out there and have fun. I went to the beach, enjoyed Shakespeare in the park, picnicked, swam, watched movies under the stars and ate homemade lavender ice cream AND recruited lots of friends and family to do it all with me. Summer was back! It was such a valuable lesson, as I learned that I have to continue to create my life, my fun.

So as June 21st approaches I've started my new Summer To Do List. I really don't need it anymore, but I'll keep it there as a reminder to create, to enjoy, to have fun.

This blog is part of that. Those of you who know me know that I love good food, and I love to share it with people I love. In an effort to try new things and eat healthily, I've challenged myself to make and share 60 Salads of Summer. My daughter Danica, who is a very creative cook, is helping me. And we're looking forward to sharing the fruits of our labor. I can't promise they'll all be healthy, but I can promise they'll all be delicious. Enjoy!

Friday, August 15, 2014

46. Pear and Fig Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

















This salad is packed with flavor.  It’s been on my “...to make list” for a couple of weeks, but I just hadn’t figured out what to pair it with (pear it with?! ).  It has so much going on that it sort of steals the show.  I finally decided to just make it for lunch, on its own.  Good decision.

The figs and pears are both so sweet and lovely--the blue cheese contrasts perfectly with them.  But it’s that lemon dressing that really does it for me--SO GOOD. Absolutely delicious when it all comes together.  

Now that I’ve made it, I can see that this would be a beautiful salad for a summer dinner party with simple, grilled meat.  It’s really quite elegant, and makes a perfect summer salad.


Ingredients

4 cups baby greens
1 d’anjou pear, cored and thinly sliced
6 fresh figs, sliced in half
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted


Lemon Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon (about 1/8-1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 Tbsp lemon curd
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt


Blend the dressing until smooth.  

Place the greens on each salad plate or bowl.  Distribute the fruit, blue cheese and toasted pecans on top of each.  Drizzle each with vinaigrette and serve.

Serves 4

Adapted from Paula Deen and The Food Network.

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