Recipe: Poached Pear and Pecan Spinach Salad with Warm Goat Cheese

Credit: John Sherlock

Popeye never had a spinach salad like this!

Add some zest to your spinach salad with goat cheese, poached pears and port dressing

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups (375 ml) candied pecans
• 1 ½ cups (375 ml) port-based dressing
• 2 cups (500 ml) dry white wine
• 2 cups (500 ml) water
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 Bosc pears, cored, peeled and quartered
• 4 cups (1 L) fresh baby spinach
• 8 oz (225 g) goat cheese or chèvre in a log shape
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) panko or other dried bread crumbs
• 2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil

Instructions

1. Combine wine, water, lemon juice and cinnamon in a medium pot on high heat and bring to a boil.
2. Turn down heat to medium-low, add pears, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until pears are tender but still hold shape.
3. Remove from heat and allow pears to cool in cooking liquid.
4. Place spinach, pears and port dressing in a bowl and toss lightly.
5. Divide goat cheese into four portions and shape into flat, round 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) thick disks.
6. Set up three separate shallow bowls for flour, beaten eggs and panko.
7. Roll cheese rounds in flour, then beaten eggs, then panko.
8. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat.
9. Add cheese rounds and brown for 2 minutes on each side.
10. Divide salad among plates and arrange four pear pieces on each.
11. Top with pecans and a round of cheese.

From Vancouver Cooks 2, © 2009, by the Chefs’ Table Society. Published by Douglas & McIntyre, an imprint of D&M Publishers Inc. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. Photography by John Sherlock.