Sunday, October 2, 2011

Roasted Chanterelle and Leek Salad with Pears and Pecans


While I was visiting Montréal last week, I visited a restaurant called DNA.  The atmosphere was wonderful and the service excellent!  They had the most beautiful orange decor, but more importantly the food was delicious! 


I ordered some delicious pappardelle pasta scattered with local mushrooms including chanterelles.  It was delicious and earthy due to the flavorful mushrooms. 


I had every ambition to try and recreate the $30 plate when I arrived home, and I even found some locally grown chanterelles at the market, but my day had other plans.  Instead of putzing with home made pappardelle today I visited a local winery, St. Croix Vineyards for some wine tasting.  Of course I ended up buying wine there, as well as some late harvest riesling vinegar. Being that it was a warm day, and that I was feeling a bit lazy in the dinner department, I decided that the chanterelles would be lovely in a salad also using some of that vinegar that I had bought.  So I roasted some chanterelles (as well as a bit of crimini mushrooms which are more affordable) and some leeks and tossed them with some ripe d'anjou pears and toasted pecans for a delicious salad! 


I dressed it with a riesling maple walnut dressing with a bit of thyme and voila!  Deliciousness!  It wasn't a good day for pasta anyhow, and the salad paired perfectly with some dry riesling I had also picked up today.  Maybe I will make pappardelle when the weather chills out a bit, but for now this salad did the trick to showcase the chanterelles!  If you have access to them you should try making it yourself!


Roasted Chanterelle and Leek Salad with Pears and Pecans
Serves 2

1 large leek, sliced
10 chanterelle mushrooms, halved if large
10 crimini mushrooms, halved
olive oil
1 large D'anjou pear, sliced
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1 large head leaf lettuce, washed and torn into bite sized pieces

Dressing:
2 Tbsp walnut oil
2 Tbsp riesling vinegar
2 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp honey dijon mustard
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.  Toss mushrooms and leeks with just enough olive oil to coat, and spread out on baking sheet.  Roast in the oven until tender and starting to brown at edges, about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature, then add to a large bowl along with the pear, pecans and leaf lettuce.  Whisk dressing ingredients together, then pour over salad and toss well.  Serve!

8 comments:

Hester aka The Chef Doc said...

Ooh, this looks delicious, Amy!

Kate@Diethood said...

That salad sounds terrific!!

TinaRBK said...

Healthy and fresh-just the way a salad should. Pears and pecans are wonderful additions to a salad. Yum!

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Amazing salad, Amy! I love everything about it~

Mandy @ Cater to Me said...

I am obsessed with mushrooms! I never thought to put them together with pears, but I like it!

Jill Colonna said...

What a salad. Wouldn't have thought of adding mushrooms like this - it's fab! That DNA restaurant looks so cosy - and well chosen theme as it goes with your blog! Bon weekend J xo

The Little Foodie said...

That looks incredible! I love roasted chanterelles. It must have been a really excellent dinner.

Anonymous said...

a masterpiece of a salad!