Spinach Salad with Apples, Pecans and Blue Cheese

Fall is the time for apples!  It’s normally a no brainer for me to throw apples into my desserts, but when Erik put together this delicious spinach salad here to pair with his mesquite pork tenderloin, I was in tastebud heaven!  This was the perfect way to utilize the apples that we had just picked that day fresh from the orchard.  The sweetness of the apples blends nicely with the mellow flavor of the blue cheese.  Make sure to use a high quality blue cheese here like Roquefort or Stilton.  There’s no sense in wasting the deliciousness of a freshly picked apple with a mediocre blue cheese.  😉  The crunch of the pecans gives this salad a great texture and combines well with the softness of the cheese.  The homemade vinaigrette that Erik put together for this salad differs slightly from a typical vinaigrette.  Most consist of  2-3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.  But Erik’s version calls for equal parts oil and vinegar.  This method produces a thinner dressing and gives  good balance to bring out all the subtle flavors. This salad goes great on its own but also pairs well with pork or chicken. And there is enough dressing in this recipe to cover, refrigerate and use for another day.  Happy munching!