Poached Pear and Prosciutto Salad

I’m obsessed with this Poached Pear and Prosciutto Salad! One of my favorite local restaurants features a similar salad this winter, and I knew I needed to recreate it at home. I wanted to see if I could poach pears in fruit juice instead of wine, and I loved the results. The tart cranberry juice mixes perfectly with the vanilla, cinnamon and the sweet pears! I love this poached pear and prosciutto salad by itself or served with a few steak medallions. This poached pear and prosciutto salad definitely makes an impression and would be the perfect salad starter to a romantic Valentine’s dinner!

So winter is officially over in Oklahoma, or at least the weatherman is saying it. Normally Oklahoma has a bizarre mix of ice storms and miniature blizzards that can drag on into March, but this year we’ve barely had any bad weather. This suits me just fine because I am a spring/summer girl. I love blue skies, flowering trees and just being able to hang outside, even if it is simply getting drinks on a patio. Winter weather gives me the serious blues and makes me miss Los Angeles. LA really only has one season… summer. While I missed the changing of the fall leaves, I would gladly take all-year summer to blizzards. This winter I planned a few long weekends to Phoenix to help me get through the cold weather months. Phoenix kind of reminds me of Los Angeles because of the mild climate, palm trees and rocky mountains. Although a big difference is all the cactuses! I had no idea the Saguaro cactus could get so big or that it mainly grows in Arizona. There were cactuses in Los Angeles but nothing like the saguaro! One of my favorite parts of visiting new places is trying new restaurants. I’ve been very impressed with all the gluten-free options in Phoenix!

Anyone from the Phoenix/Scottsdale area? What are your favorite restaurants??

Poached Pear and Prosciutto Salad

Ingredients

Poached Pears

2 cups cranberry juice
1 vanilla bean, scrapped or 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cinnamon stick
2 bosc pears, carefully pealed

White balsamic vinaigrette

2 tbls white balsamic vinegar
3 tbls extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

For Serving:

1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup dried figs, cut in half
1/4 cup no-sugar added dried cranberries
4 cups mixed greens
8 thin slices of prosciutto

Directions

For the poached pears:

Place cranberry, juice, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick and pears into a small sauce pot.
Bring to a soft simmer and cook for 5 minutes, carefully rotate pears and cook for another 7-10 minutes.
Remove and carefully slice lengthwise.

For the White Balsamic Vinaigrette:

Place all ingredients in a small jar with a lid. Shake vigorously until well combined.

To Serve:

Sprinkle pecans, figs and cranberries on a bed of mixed greens. Top with prosciutto, sliced poached pears and a drizzle of white balsamic vinaigrette.

https://plaidandpaleo.com/2016/02/poached-pear-and-prosciutto-salad.html

Enjoy!
x Vanessa