Pear Gorgonzola Salad with Candied Rosemary Walnuts and Pear Ginger Vinegar

A beautiful salad perfect for the holiday season.  The candied rosemary walnut clusters are the icing on the cake in this salad and make it extra festive.  

Ingredients 

Fresh Bartlett pears
Purple Leaf Lettuce
Gorgonzola Cheese
1 medium package Walnuts
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
1 Tbs Coconut Oil
Fresh Rosemary
1 Tbs Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
Wozz! Pear Ginger Vinegar

To Make Candied Walnuts:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

In a saucepan over medium high heat, add coconut oil, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, salt and 1-2 sprigs of rosemary.  Stir and allow to come to the boil.  Add nuts and dried cranberries and stir continuously for 2 minutes.

Take nuts off heat, spread onto parchment line baking sheet (remove rosemary sprigs and discard).  Bake for 12 minutes stirring halfway through bake time.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple minutes.  Once pan has cooled enough, place baking sheet with nuts in freezer for a couple minutes while you make the rest of the salad.

Make Your Salad:

Chop purple leaf lettuce into small pieces and place onto plate.  Crumble gorgonzola cheese on plate.  Slice cheek off of pear and slice thinly, leaving the base intact.  Fan pear slices and place onto salad (add as many pear fanned slices as you like).  Pull a few sprigs off of rosemary sprig for garnish.  Remove candied nuts from freezer break into pieces and arrange on salad. Drizzle with Wozz! Pear Ginger Vinegar.  Garnish with dried cranberries.