Outback Pecan And Blue Cheese Chopped Salad 25-Jun-2011

This is my (and most of my family’s) favourite salad at the Outback.

Ingredients

Candied cinnamon pecans

• 1/3 cup pecans sliced-lengthwise
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted

Salad

• 3 cups chopped butter or bibb lettuce
• 3 cups chopped red leaf lettuce
• 3 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
• 1 green onion, chopped

Blue cheese vinaigrette dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (as i recall, Outback doesn’t put the blue cheese in the dressing, but assembles it with the salad ingredients separately)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Slice each pecan half into at least three lengthwise pieces.
3. Combine the cinnamon and brown sugar.
4. Toss the pecans with the melted butter, then with the cinnamon/sugar mixture, making sure to coat them all evenly.
5. Put the nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until sugar is caramelized.
6. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and slide the pecans off of the parchment to cool.
7. Chop all of the lettuce into small bite-sized pieces; and rinse them with cool water.
8. Slice the green onion.
9. Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.
10. Place the chopped lettuce into a serving bowl large enough to allow you to toss the salad.
11. Add the vinaigrette and toss thoroughly.
12. Sprinkle with the chopped onion.
13. Break the cooled pecan slices apart and sprinkle them over the salad.
14. Enjoy!