Poached Pear Salad with Cranberry Vinigarette & Pecan Brittle

Poached Pear Salad with Cranberry Vinigarette & Pecan Brittle
Equipment:
Blender, small pot

Ingredients
For the Pears:
1 cup Sugar
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup water
6 pears, peeled, halved and cored

For the Cranberry Vinaigrette:
1 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Fresh thyme
3 Tbs Red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 Tb. Pure maple syrup

For the Pecan Brittle:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup shelled, raw pecans; rough chopped
1 tsp Lemon juice
Salt

For the Plate:
6 handfuls of mixed Lettuces


Prepare the pears:
1. In a small pot, mix the sugar, water and wine together and bring to a simmer
2. Add the pears and cover with a towel or weight with a smaller plate. (They?ll float to the top if not held down)
3. Simmer for about 10-12 minutes or until the pears are cooked but not mushy.
4. Remove pears and cool.
5. Reduce liquid till slightly syrupy and let cool to room temp.

Prepare the vinagrette:
1. In a small pot add a little oil, shallots and garlic and cook just a minute or so. You don?t want ray onions or raw garlic to Overpower the Cranberry
2. Add the Cranberries, juice and red wine Vinegar and simmer till the cranberries plump up
3. Let cool to room temp and add the cranberry Mix to the blender
4. Add the mustard, thyme, maple syrup and oil with the blender running and season with salt and pepper.

Prepare the Pecan Brittle:
1. In small pot add sugar and lemon juice and heat till very hot. The sugar will start to liquefy after a while. Be careful not to burn it, but it should have a brown (like maple syrup) color to it. When it gets there remove from heat immediately.
2. Add pecans (carefully) and pour onto a cookie sheet while still very hot.
3. Sprinkle with course salt and let cool
4. Break off shards of the brittle for garnish

Prepare the Plate:
1. On the center of the plate lay 1/2 a poached pear. Blow the Pear a Kiss. The pear is now your friend.
2. In a little bowl toss the lettuces with a little of the cranberry vinaigrette and place a nice little mound on the 1/2 pear.
3. Place the other half of the pear on the lettuce to form a "V" with the skinny ends of the pear.
4. Pierce the pears delicate flesh with the pecan brittle so that the pear provides a base for the brittle.
5. Spoon the syrup from the poaching liquid around the plate and add a little cranberry Vinaigrette on there too.
6. Serve