Fig and Asian Pear Salad

A while back, I'd posted about Ya li pears and I'd wanted to find something cool to do with them. Well...here it is! Of course, "cool" is relative, lol.

I knew right off the bat that I wanted to combine the pears with figs...but finding fresh figs at the time was nearly impossible! When I finally did find some, they were way too expensive and they didn't look too hot either.

I ended up testing this salad out with dried figs, but it wasn't what I was looking for...

Now that it's alot easier to find fresh figs at a reasonable price (they're in season from June-September in most parts of the U.S.), I went full steam ahead with the salad I envisioned.

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I've always liked salads that contain a mix of textures, so I try to include something crunchy, something crispy, something soft, and so on...
...And the same thing goes for the taste elements - some sort of combo of spicy, salty, sweet, etc., seems to work out well for the most part.

In this case I used some walnut pieces for crunch, pear for crispiness, figs for their sweetness and mushy texture, and some pepper jack cheese for a little touch of heat.

I wasn't too sure what to do for the vinaigrette at first, so I just picked stuff from the pantry. Sweet and tangy is always a safe bet, so I combined sweet maple and apple flavors with some apple cider vinegar for the zing.
And for some reason pepper seems to go well with pear...so I added some black pepper at the last minute...


The vinaigrette really benefits from having some time to let the flavors develop, so I'd suggest making before everything else. :o)


Fig and Asian Pear Salad
makes 4-6 servings


1 large ripe asian pear*
1 box of ripe black figs (~ 3/4 pound)
1 large head of red leaf lettuce
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
4 oz. pepper jack cheese


*you can use any type of firm, ripe pear that you like, but since they may be smaller than the average asian pear...you may have to use two! Golden delicious or granny smith apples would be a nice variation as well :o)


Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and wash in very cold water...


Dry well and set aside.



Cut the figs into either halves or quarters and slice the pear into thin wedges ...



Slice of shreds of the pepper jack cheese and scatter over the salad along with the walnut pieces...

Toss with some of the maple cider vinaigrette (or serve on the side). Simple as that!

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Maple Cider Vinaigrette


2 oz. apple juice or apple cider
4 oz. apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil
2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Fresh black pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in an old glass jar and shake it up...that's it!Let the dressing sit for a few minutes so the flavors can mingle :o)


Enjoy!