Delightful Pear Salad

(my version from the former Butterfly Garden)

We Louisvillians have made special efforts over the years to gather friends and head to The Butterfly Garden Restaurant. Originally it was on Bardstown Road. Then they added a lovely-in-every-way Tea Room inside Dolfinger’s. This was a double whammy to your wallet should you linger and shop before or after lunch in Dolfinger’s! (Many brides register here. Their gift selection is top notch.)

My friends and I celebrated many birthdays and any other reason to have lunch with the gals at The Butterfly Garden. Sadly, they’ve closed, but…good news is they published two cookbooks, both of which are in my possession, with about every other page earmarked, even if you’re in the “has-no-business-in-the-kitchen” category.

Given the opportunity, I know author Emily Williams and I could be big buds because of the way she prefaces her cookbook, “I am not a chef and have not been to cooking school.” She tells us she learned everything from watching and listening to her mother. She also credits Nancy Royce, who was the original “Madam Butterfly”, who stayed on with her for over a month to help her cook and remake countless recipes. This was in 2004, when Emily bought the business.

The recipe for this salad is one of many favorites. I like it because it has pears vs. apples. You could certainly use apples tho’. While the ingredients are minimal, there’s something about the combination of the vinaigrette with the pears, pecans, cheese and lettuce that makes for the perfect match. (If you’re not a gorgonzola fan, substitute what you like.)

Ingredients:
For the Salad:
4 cups of spring greens (I usually throw in some baby spinach as well.)
1 ripe pear (Emily recommends Bartlett or Anjou), quartered and sliced into thin strips
4 Tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
8 Tablespoons toasted and sugared pecans (I skip this little part of the recipe and just buy something similar off the shelf at the grocery store, but the Butterfly Garden’s version has a fascinating spice: five spice powder, which can be found in most Asian food sections. They recommend making the pecans in a saucepan over medium heat with 3 Tablespoons BUTTER, melted, adding 2 cups of chopped pecans. Then sprinkle 3 Tablespoons of sugar over the pecans, stirring to combine. Toast the pecans in the saucepan for 15-20 more minutes, stirring occasionally, reducing the heat to low. Makes 2 cups of pecans and they will keep in an air-tight container for 1 week. Great to munch on!)

For the Vinaigrette:
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 ¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons honey
1 cup olive oil

Directions:

  • To make the dressing, combine all ingredients and blend in a blender. Refrigerate until ready to use.

  • To assemble the salad, place 1 cup spring greens on 4 salad plates.

  • Place about 4-5 pear strips onto each plate.

  • Top each plate with 1 tablespoon Gorgonzola and 2 tablespoons toasted and sugared pecans.

  • Spoon about 2 tablespoons dressing over each salad.

This makes 4 salads and 2 cups of the honey-dijon vinaigrette. Refrigerate the remaining dressing and it’ll keep for up to 10 days. The bonus of this recipe is you’ll have leftover dressing and pecans to quickly whip up another salad when you’re ready.
Enjoy!