Pear and Pomegranate Salad (2012- Week 32)

Week 32 Featured Ingredient: Pomegranates

Pomegranates are now in season for the holidays, so I decided to make a recipe using this fruit for our large Thanksgiving family gathering.   I was in charge of bringing a salad, so I found a delicious-looking salad recipe online that used both pomegranate seeds and pomegranate juice. 

The salad itself was really good.  My relatives seemed to enjoy it.  I strayed from the original recipe by adding spinach and green kale to the arugula instead of romaine and I left out the pistachios because I knew our gathering included at least one person with a nut allergy.  I liked the crunch and sweetness that the pears and pomegranate seeds added, and the crumbled feta had a nice soft contrast.  It was a nice balance and an elevated salad for a special occasion.

Regarding the vinaigrette, the original recipe called for pomegranate molasses.  I checked 4 different grocery stores, but it was clear that I wasn't going to find this strange ingredient anywhere.  So I decided to make this special molasses by reducing pure pomegranate juice.  It didn't work, mostly because I started with way too much juice in the pot.  I ended up using a couple tablespoons of the juice in the vinaigrette anyway, as is.  The vinaigrette was good, but I couldn't detect the pomegranate flavor.

Pear and Pomegranate Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
(Anne's Recipe-- adapted from Food 52 Online)
Serves ~8-10

Salad:
4 cups fresh baby spinach
4 cups fresh baby arugula 
2 cups fresh green kale
3 ripe pears, cored and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
pomegranate vinaigrette

Pomegranate Vinaigrette:
1 large shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (reduce 1/2 cup pomegranate juice to a thick syrup)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepepr
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the shallot, pomegranate molasses, vinegar, salt, and pepper and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil and let vinaigrette stand at room temperature until salad is assembled.

Combine the greens, pears, and half of the pomegranate seeds in a large bowl.   Crumble half of the goat cheese over the ingredients in the bowl.  Whisk the vinaigrette until uniform and add a little bit to the salad, gently tossing to coat to your liking. Crumble the remaining cheese over the salad and sprinkle the remaining pomegranate seeds over the top. Serve immediately.