Pear-Blue Cheese Salad

1 recipe Holiday Dijon Vinaigrette (recipe below) or 3/4 cup favorite purchased vinaigrette
2 tbsp butter
1 cup pecan halves
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
16 cups torn curly endive, romaine lettuce or spinach
3 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup crumbled blue cheese

Prepare Holiday Dijon Vinaigrette. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add pecan halves. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until pecans are lightly toasted, stirring frequently. Sprinkle sugar and salt over pecans; cook and stir for 1 min. more. Transfer pecans to a medium bowl; cool.

In a 6- to 8-quart salad bowl combine curly endive, pears, blue cheese and half the pecans. Pour Holiday Vinaigrette over salad. Toss gently to coat. Divide among salad plates. Sprinkle with remaining pecans.

Makes 10 1-1/2-cup servings. Per serving: 265 calories, 21 g fat (6 g sat), 16 mg cholesterol, 390 mg sodium, 17 g carb, 7 g fiber, 6 g protein

Honey Dijon Vinaigrette:
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp chopped shallots or onions
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon-style mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

In a screw-top jar combine all ingredients. Cover; shake well. Serve immediately. Or cover and store in refrigerator up to one week. If refrigerated, let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Shake before serving. Makes 3/4 cup.