A last minute recipe if you’re in need of a last minute Thanksgiving dinner contribution. Some people might argue that there isn’t a place for salad on the Thanksgiving table, unless it’s of the jello or mayo salad variety. But I think a bright and refreshing salad is a welcome addition, and honestly a respite from richness of everything else. Will I be filling up my plate with leafy greens this Thursday? No, but I will take a scoop and might even come back for seconds after I feel satisfied with my mashed potato and stuffing consumption.

However, if this pear and persimmon winter salad is on the table I might have to hog the whole bowl. There’s PORK FLOSS on it and a really tangy honey mustard dressing with thin slices of my favorite fall/winter fruits. I ate this for lunch (topped with chicken, imagine it with leftover roast turkey!) for a week straight, it’s so delicious and satisfying. I first had pork floss on a salad at Breadbelly, on one of their seasonal salads. It was a revelation and I was upset at myself for not thinking of pork floss and fluffy bacon bits all this time.

Frisée feels like a very Californian/French fancy lettuce, visually beautiful with a slight peppery, bitterness. If you can’t find the fancy lettuce, you can use baby arugula or baby kale instead and it will still be excellent! The delicate bitterness of the greens is a really beautiful contrast to the sweet, crisp fruit and then the extra tangy dressing. I purposefully made the dressing on the more acidic side, so if you find it a little extra pungent just mix in an extra tablespoon (or two) of olive oil until it’s perfect for you.

Pear and Persimmon Winter Salad

serves 4

salad:

2 heads of frisée, roughly chopped
1 asian pear, thinly sliced with seeds removed
1 firm fuyu persimmon, thinly sliced
3 tbsp pork floss
2 tbsp roasted and salted pistachios, chopped

creamy honey mustard dressing:

1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp kewpie mayo
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. In a small bowl or mason jar, whisk to combine honey, dijon mustard, kewpie mayo, rice vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Store in the fridge until ready to use, up to 1 week. Make a double or triple batch of dressing if you want to keep more in stock.

2. In a large salad bowl or platter, add the frisée. Top with slices of pear and persimmon. Sprinkle the pork floss and pistachios over top. Drizzle on some of the dress and keep the remainder on the side for people who like a heavier dressed salad.