Pear and Walnut Salad with Wheat Beer Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

• ¾ cup wheat beer
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp wildflower or amber honey
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• ⅓ cup vegetable stock
• ⅓ cup olive oil

Salad

• 8 cups assorted greens
• 3 to 4 ripe red-skinned pears, halved, cored and thinly sliced
• 6 oz blue cheese or fresh goat cheese, crumbled, optional
• ½ cup toasted walnut halves

Directions

1. To make vinaigrette: put wheat beer in saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Cook until it has reduced to ¼ cup, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, and whisk in remaining ingredients. Set aside.
4. To make salad: arrange greens on 8 plates, and arrange pears on greens.
5. Crumble blue cheese on top, if using, scatter with walnuts and drizzle each salad with vinaigrette.