Spinach Salad with Bosc Pears, Cranberries, Red Onion, and Toasted Hazelnuts
"This spinach salad speaks to all the wonderful autumnal flavors of the Pacific Northwest. The new crop of bronzed Bosc pears is piled high at the farmers' market; the hazelnuts have been harvested, shelled, and bagged for sale; and the cranberries arrive from the Long Beach, Washington, coastal bogs. I buy sweetened dried cranberries from a local producer, but they are readily available at the grocery store (Ocean Spray is a good-quality packager), found alongside raisins and other dried fruits. This salad is a snap to assemble if you buy the packaged prewashed and trimmed baby spinach...."
INGREDIENTS
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Dressing
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1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
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2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
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2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
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1 teaspoon sugar
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1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
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Freshly ground pepper
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1 cup thinly sliced red onion
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1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries
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8 cups lightly packed fresh baby spinach leaves, stemmed if needed
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2 firm but ripe Bosc pears (do not peel), quartered lengthwise, cored, and cut into long, thin slices
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2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted (see Cook's Notes) and chopped
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