This was, admittedly, an accident. For many months now we have been making salads with kale – generally adding things like pomegranate and grapefruit (which are also wonderful) – but when those additives went out of season, we needed to think of something new. Enter the pear and orange combination – which we served with a very simple dijon and balsamic vinaigrette.
Remove the stems from one bunch of fresh kale and chop into broad squares. We used non-curly, black kale – but any form available will do.
Slice 2 ripe pears and 1 whole orange (a blood orange is actually a nice additional twist to this, if you can find them) into chunks. Be careful to remove the stem & core of the pear (but not the skin) and the rind and seeds of the orange.
For the Dijon vinaigrette: Wisk together 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tspn dijon mustard and 3-4 Tbsp olive oil. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. (We actually used a small jam jar with a screw top to shake everything together).
Combine with the chopped kale and toss with dressing – serve immediately.