Holiday Salad

 

A colorful salad to serve your guest this holiday season. With the citrus dressing served in the middle you have yourself a wreath for your table. Guests can drizzle the dressing themselves. Honey pecan halves with a hint of pumpkin pie spice layered on a bed of arugula, frisee, and radicchio (or your choice of greens) topped with pomegranate seeds and feta cheese. Don't forget the slices of orange.

1 cup pecan halves

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons honey

5 ounces baby arugula

2 heads frisee, roughly chopped

1/2 head radicchio, thinly sliced

2 navel oranges

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled

Line a plate with parchment. Toss the pecans with the pumpkin pie spice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a small bowl. Add the mixture to a small nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat, tossing frequently, until the spices begin to brown and become fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of the honey and cook, stirring constantly, until the honey begins to caramelize and the pecans are well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the prepared plate, making sure the pecans are in an even layer and not stacked on top of each other. Let cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a small bowl that can hold 1 cup of salad dressing in the center of a large platter. Toss the arugula, frisee and radicchio in a large bowl. Spread the lettuce mixture in a circle to resemble a wreath around the bowl on the platter.

Slice both ends off one of the oranges and set the fruit flat-side down on a cutting board. With a paring knife, slice the peel and the pith off in sections, following the shape of the orange. Remove whole segments by cutting towards the center of the orange along a membrane. Then slice along the adjacent membrane to release the segment. Place the segments in a small bowl. Squeeze the juice from the remaining membranes into a medium bowl.

Halve the remaining orange and squeeze the juice into the medium bowl (you should have about 1/3 cup). Whisk in the vinegar, Dijon, remaining 1 tablespoon honey, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until emulsified. Pour the dressing into the bowl in the center of the platter.
To serve, scatter the honeyed pecans, orange segments, pomegranate seeds and feta cheese over top of the lettuce wreath.

A Food Network Recipe found here 

I was excited to find this recipe. What a perfect way to serve a healthy salad at your holiday table.

Yum