Hunters Salad With Raspberry Vinaigrette And Candied Pecans Food

HOUSE SALAD WITH CANDIED PECANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small saucepan on the stovetop, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, stir in the pecans; toss to coat. Spread the nuts on a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until toasty. Keep a close eye on them so that they don't burn. While still warm, sprinkle the nuts with a little bit of kosher salt to taste. Set aside to cool completely. Once cool, you can store the candied nuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Add the vinegar and mustard, whisk to combine.
• Whisk in the oil, one tablespoon at a time, blending well after each addition. The mixture should be thick, but pourable. If it's too thick, gradually whisk in some water until it reaches the desired consistency. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Arrange the lettuce greens on individual salad plates or on a large serving platter. Top with candied pecans, blue cheese, cranberries and oranges. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad, to taste.

HUNTER'S SALAD WITH RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE AND CANDIED PECANS

Steps:

• Combine olive oil, vinegar, juice concentrate, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Whisk vigorously until well mixed.
• Combine greens, cheese, onion and pecans in a serving bowl.
• Pour dressing over and toss to coat the greens.
• Serve immediately.
• For the Candied Pecans, whisk egg whites, sugar, cinnamon and cayenne pepper in a bowl until slightly frothy.
• Add pecans and toss to coat well.
• Spray a baking sheet lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
• Spread pecans in a single layer on the baking sheet.
• Bake at 275F for 30 minutes, turning the pecans every 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and cool completely.
• Crumble the mixture into to separate pieces.
• Use 2/3 cup of the pecans in the salad.
• Store the remaining pecans in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

STRAWBERRY PECAN SALAD WITH RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Mix together mixed salad greens or baby spinach leaves.
• Toss in strawberry slices, grapes, mandarine segments, red onion slices and glazed pecans. Toss all the salad ingredients.
• Combine all the raspberry vinaigrette ingredients and pour over salad.
• Add feta cheese crumbles on top. Serve salad immediately or store in refrigerator.
• SERVING SUGGESTION: can also be served with Ken's Steak House, Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette Salad Dressing over the salad and store-bought glazed pecans, if you like.

STRAWBERRY SPINACH SALAD WITH CANDIED PECANS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.
• Add pecans and sugar; stir to combine.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar melts around pecans and is caramel-colored.
• Remove pecans with a slotted spoon and spread in a single layer on a sheet of lightly greased aluminum foil.
• Cool completely and break up pieces as needed.
• Remove and discard stems from spinach.
• Wash spinach and pat dry with paper towels.
• Tear into bite-size pieces.
• Combine spinach, celery and strawberries in a large bowl.
• Pour 1 cup dressing over salad mixture; toss gently.
• Add reserved candied pecans; toss gently.
• Serve immediately with remaining dressing.
• Dressing: Combine first 5 ingredients in container of electric blender; cover and process until smooth.
• With blender running, gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream through opening in lid.
• Process until thick and smooth.
• Transfer dressing mixture to a bowl; stir in poppy seeds.
• Cover and chill.

CANDIED PECANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250.
• Combine egg whites and vanilla in large bowl and whisk until frothy (i used my kitchenaid w/ whisk attachment).
• In a separate bowl combine Sugar, Salt and Cinnamon.
• Add Pecans to egg white mixture, mix well until coated.
• Slowly pour Sugar mixture into pecans while mixing.
• Pour onto a greased cookie sheet (or use parchment or silpats) and spread the pecans into a single layer.
• Put into oven for 15 minutes then stir the pecans, repeat every 15 minutes for a total of 1 hour. They will be semi soft when warm (still delicious) and will harden when cooled.