Deb Mulvey from Wisconsin sent a generous box of cookbooks after my Culinary Cellar flood with a very sweet note. She had read about the flood, and being a cookbook lover herself, said the loss touched her heart, as well as the outpouring of generosity that followed. Deb is a Field Editor for Taste of Home magazine and she, along with many other Field Editors, sent cookbooks to help rebuild my culinary library. I learned quickly that the Field Editors are a generous group of cooking enthusiasts.
Deb said these books brought her much joy and she wanted to share them. Look at all those great titles! I decided on the “Eating Well in Season” because it had a recipe for a salad using pears, celery, white cheddar, and toasted pecans that sounded so good.
I love seasonal cookbooks. All the recipes in this book are healthy, easy, don’t use hard-to-find ingredients, and take only 45 minutes or less to prepare. This “Crunchy Pear and Celery Salad” became a favorite from the first bite. Pears are tossed with a dressing of a fruity vinegar and honey, then diced white cheddar cheese, celery, and toasted pecans are added. The mixture is piled up on butterhead lettuce leaves and served with a fresh grind of black pepper. That’s it! So good and so easy.
Isn’t it beautiful? I loved the crunchy additions of celery that is first soaked in ice water, and the toasted pecans. The blend of flavors are perfect for a lunch and there is even a suggestion for using other ingredients to make it a little different. For an Italian version you can use Parmesan and pine nuts, or a British version of Stilton cheese and toasted walnuts. I plan on trying those for sure.
Thank you, Deb, for these lovely books and for this salad recipe that I enjoyed so much!
- 4 stalks celery, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
- 2 Tablespoons cider, pear, raspberry, or other fruit vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe pears, preferably red Bartlett or Anjou, diced
- 1 cup diced white cheddar cheese
- ½ cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 large leaves, butterhead or other lettuce
- Soak celery in a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Cut into ½-inch pieces.
- Whisk vinegar, honey, and salt in mixing bowl until blended. Add the celery, cheese, and pecans. Stir to combine. Season with pepper.
- Divide the lettuce leaves among 6 plates. Top each with a portion of salad. Can be served immediately or chilled. Note: If not serving right away, add pecans right before serving,
Oh my goodness! This salad looks so good. Thanks for posting!
Dana, I can’t say enough how good this salad is. It will be on my permanent list of salads to make often!
We love fruity salads! Thanks for the recipe!!
Ronna, this salad is outstanding. I hope you like it!