Blueberry, Pear, Pecan Salad

I have a few favorite salads. I haven't posted any of them yet, because I don't follow a very exact recipe when I make salads. I do what most of you probably do: I just toss in some of all the ingredients until the proportions look right. I know some people don't like recipes like this, but this time it will just have to do.

Also, I don't ever really know what to name the salads. In this case, I just decided to describe the salad as well as possible without making the name ten words long. So, "Blueberry, Pear, Pecan Salad" it is. For now.

This one takes a little preparation time, because I candy the pecans and include a recipe for a homemade dressing. (The dressing actually comes together in less than 5 minutes.) However, it's also great with Girard's raspberry vinaigrette. I can actually claim this salad dressing as one I put together. I combined a few different recipes I found into one that matched what I was looking for. (I forgot to buy dressing once when I needed it, and decided to make one instead. I really liked the results, so I thought I'd share.) In the end, this is really three recipes in one. Bonus!

Blueberry, Pear, Pecan Salad

Spring Mix Lettuce (Sometimes I mix in some spinach as well.)
Salad Dressing (Either recipe below or purchased)
Fresh Blueberries
Sliced Pears (I prefer fresh, but canned could do in a pinch)
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Candied Pecans (Recipe also below)

Toss the lettuce with the salad dressing, lightly coating each leaf. Top with all other ingredients, and mix very lightly. (Don't mix it too much, or all the heavy ingredients settle on the bottom.) Drizzle lightly with additional dressing, if desired.)

There you go, my very technical salad recipe. Here are the dressing and pecan recipes:

Red Wine Vinaigrette

4 Tbsp. red wine (or raspberry would also be good) vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola (or vegetable) oil
4 Tbsp. sugar
About 1 Tbsp. honey mustard salad dressing (or 1 tsp. or so of both honey and mustard)
A pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients together until sugar is dissolved and ingredients are well blended. (This will separate, so I mix it again just before pouring on the salad. Also, I didn't need quite the whole recipe for the size of salad I made.)

Candied Pecans

(This one is very basic. There are more elaborate versions out there, but for this salad, this simple one is just right.)

1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
4 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. water

Bring the above ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer. Cook and stir until golden and coated, and the syrup is almost gone. (This takes about 10 minutes for me.) You want to watch them closely. If you leave too much syrup, they will be sticky. If you cook them too long, the syrup will suddenly turn into a powder. Don't worry, if either happens they're still usable. However, I like them best when the syrup is almost gone, but before it becomes powder. Spread out on wax or parchment paper to dry.