Fall Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing

Fall is finally in the air here in Atlanta!  After the summer-that-seemed-like-it-would-never-end, I think Georgians breathed a collective sigh of relief last week when highs were in the high 60's and lows were in the 40's.  I love the change in season for a number of reasons, but the changing seasonal ingredients to cook with is probably at the top of the list.  

We were invited to our friend Bridgette's house for dinner, and I made this fall salad to go along with the cedar plank salmon and roasted potatoes they served.  It's a simple recipe that is a nice deviation from the kitchen sink salad that I typically make.  And the maple balsamic dressing was so good - it was sweet, but light, and definitely had the homemade taste that turns an ordinary salad into something better.

I hope you are enjoying your fall, and spending lots of time in the kitchen enjoying all of the beautiful autumn flavors!

Fall Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing

Recipe source: adapted from Tyler Florence's Fall Salad

Ingredients:

1 9 oz bag of baby spinach

1 pear, sliced

1/4 cup shaved Parmesan

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup candied pecans 

Dressing:

1 small shallot, minced

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons maple syrup

Directions:

Combine salad ingredients (except for the Parmesan) in a large salad bowl.

To make the dressing, combine the shallot, mustard, and vinegar in a large bowl.  Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking to emulsify.  Add the maple syrup and combine.  Season with salt and pepper.

Dress your salad just before serving, and mix in the Parmesan cheese. 

(on a side note...look at how big this hunk of Parm is...gooooo Costco!)