Romaine Lettuce With Pears, Gorgonzola And Candied Walnuts - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup walnuts, very coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter (plus extra for the cookie sheet)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, chopped
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 ripe Anjou pears
10 cups romaine lettuce, broken into pieces
1/2 cup gorgonzola, crumbled
1/3 - 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion (optional)
salt and pepper

Preparation

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and butter the paper.
In a medium skillet combine the walnuts, sugar and butter; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar begins to turn golden brown.
Remove the skillet from the heat and pour mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with a spatula; cool.This can be done several days before serving the salad. Keep in a covered container.
In the bowl of a processor, combine the vinegar,honey,mustard and shallot.
With the machine running,add the olive oil in a thin steady stream for about 1 minute,.
Just before serving, halve and core the pears, then cut each half into thin strips.
Combine the lettuce, Gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, red onion slices (if using) and salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Place the pear slices attractively on top, drizzle with the dressing and serve.