Pear, Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Beets, goat cheese and balsamic vinegar is probably my all time favorite flavor combination.  Something about the sweetness of the beets with the tartness of the goat cheese and acidity of the vinegar just makes me salivate.  I wanted to combine these flavors as a starter dinner salad and less of an ‘appetizer’ – I just happened to have some perfectly ripe pears at home and decided I’d try them out.  Wow – this salad is incredible.  It’s a perfectly balanced combination of sweet and savory.

I served this for dinner before a heavy pasta main course, and it was a great choice in that it’s light and simple, yet completely flavorful.  There was little conversation while we were eating it, everyone was very focused on enjoying every bite.  Homemade balsamic vinaigrette is certainly the best in this recipe, and if you have a good balsamic glaze on hand, then by all means don’t hold back when drizzling it on top.