Pomegranate, Pear, Walnut & Bleu Cheese Salad

• 8 ounces baby spinach
• 1 pomegranate
• 2 pears (any variety)
• 2 ounces lemon juice
• 2 cups cold water
• 4 ounces bleu cheese
• honeyed walnuts (recipe below) or you may use 1 1/2 cups of toasted walnuts instead
• Pomegranate black pepper vinaigrette (recipe below)

Honeyed Walnuts

• 1 Tbsp butter, unsalted
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 cups walnut halves or pieces

1. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter.
2. Add honey and stir.
3. Add walnuts, stir, and cook for 4-5 minutes to toast the walnuts.  Be sure to stir a lot to avoid them burning.
4. Turn out the walnuts onto a sheet pan covered in parchment paper, separate them so they don’t stick together, and let them cool for 15-20 minutes.  Note: you can use aluminum foil, but they might stick a little to it.

• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup black pepper, ground
• 1/2 cup white vinegar (you may use white wine vinegar also)
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 1/2 cup canola oil

1. In a blender, combine the sugar, black pepper, vinegar, lemon juice, and pomegranate juice.
2. Once those ingredients are blended well, very slowly stream in the oil.  Note: it is important not to add the oil too quickly or the dressing will not emulsify and will completely separate.  While a little separation is normal after awhile, you don’t want it to be like vinegar and oil.
3. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

1. Rinse and dry baby spinach (don’t do this too far before serving or it might make the spinach go bad)
2. Remove the arils (fruit/seeds) from the pomegranate Tip:  The easiest way that I have found to open a pomegranate is to lightly score the outside all the way around the middle, just barely getting through the outer covering.  Score the fruit the same way from the top to the bottom and then back around to the top on the other side.  Once you have scored the fruit, gently put the knife under the pomegranate skin and pull it back some.  You should be able to pull this 1/4 of the fruit apart, revealing all of those juicy arils.  Continue to do this for the other three sections.
3. Slice the pears (removing the core) and place them in a bowl with the lemon juice and water to keep them from oxidizing or getting brown.
4. Place the spinach in a large bowl, top with pear slices, bleu cheese, pomegranate arils, and walnuts.
5. Toss with vinaigrette and serve.