Curried Cashew, Grape and Pear Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

January 10, 2010

IMG_4145

I’m catching up on what was supposed to be yesterday’s post. You see, the day got away from me because I was cooking a feast. Around Thanksgiving, I bought a turkey that I never got to cook (we spent the holiday with my family). By the time January rolled around I was ready for another turkey dinner. (Truthfully, I could eat oven-roasted turkey every week. It’s one of my favorite meals ever!) So I spent all of Sunday afternoon hopping around my tiny kitchen, basting a bird, concocting the stuffing, peeling potatoes, rolling out pastry, and steaming vegetables. It was an excuse to try out a bunch of Thanksgiving recipes I’ve been drooling over for months. And afterwards I was exhausted… but I was happy. Because it was so good!

All of those recipes, well, they’re coming soon! (Sorry, I’m such a tease!) I’m quite excited about today’s yesterday’s post, though, because this salad is spectacular! And different than any other I’ve made. The curried cashews make it unique- a careful balance of spicy and sweet. It’s difficult not to eat them all before they make it to the salad bowl! The vinaigrette is something new too. Dustin and I are not usually honey mustard fans. But this dressing is different. Instead of mayonnaise, it is vinegar-based, and I loved it! Put it all together- the lettuce, pears, grapes, curried cashews, and tangy honey mustard vinaigrette- and you have a beautiful salad with an intriguing combination of flavors!

Curried Cashew, Pear, and Grape Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

6 oz. mixed greens (I used both romaine and classic mixed greens)
1 Bartlett of Bosc pear, thinly sliced
1/2 cup seedless red grapes, halved

Curried Cashews:
1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashew halves
1 tsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette:
1 Tbsp. white wine/white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. honey
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Toast cashews in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, until browned. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, rosemary, curry powder, brown sugar, salt, and red pepper. Add cashews and shake to coat. Cool.

2. To make the vinaigrette, whisk to combine vinegar, Dijon, and honey in a small bowl. While whisking, slowly stream in the olive oil to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Toss greens with just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat. Top with pears, grapes, and curried cashews. Drizzle with extra vinaigrette if desired.

Serves 4.

(Adapted from All Recipes)

One thought on “Curried Cashew, Grape and Pear Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

  1. Pingback: Cranberry-Almond Grilled Chicken Salad | A Hint of HoneyA Hint of Honey

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *