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Radicchio Pear Salad with Ricotta & Cranberry Dressing

This radicchio salad is perfect in its simplicity. Sweet, crunchy, creamy and bitter all perfectly combine to make a salad that deserves a place a Thanksgiving table (or any table for that matter!)
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Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:10 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cranberry, pears, radicchio, radishes, salad dressing

Ingredients

For the cranberry dressing

  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp dried cranberries
  • 3 tbsp boiling water
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the salad

  • 2 slices sourdough bread torn into pieces
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 head radicchio thinly chopped
  • 1 large pear thinly sliced or julianned
  • 4-5 radishes thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup tender herbs, such as dill, parsley and mint
  • 1/2 cup fresh ricotta

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400F.
  • Make the dressing first. Combine all the ingredients and let them sit for about 5 minutes so the cranberries can soften. Add the dressing to a small blender and blend until smooth, this will take some time. Blend for 3-4 minutes or until there are no cranberry chunks left, and the dressing is one smooth pink color.
  • Tear up the sourdough and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Add the pine nuts and drizzle both with olive oil. Roast at 400F for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Assemble the salad while the bread and nuts are roasting. Toss the radicchio, pear, and radishes into a large bowl. Coat with the dressing and toss well. When the bread is out of the oven, add it to the bowl and toss again.
  • Now it is time to plate the salad. Add a large smear of ricotta to each plate, then sprinkle on the pine nuts. Add the salad on top.
  • Use your hands to tear up the tender herbs to activate the aromatics. Use these to garnish the salad, then serve!