Chipotle Honeyed Pears Over Pea Shoot Salad

I'm literally counting down the days until my farmer's market opens this Saturday, but until then I have to rely on what I see in abundance as to what is good and fresh now.  My grocery store has recently had an influx in all kinds of pears, so naturally I had to pick some up and test them out.  I'm typically not a pear-person, but I loved cooked pears.  With pea shoots out as well as a hunk of goat cheese I needed to use, I came up with a dried chipotle powder and honey combo that would complement these three ingredients.  Plus a little crispy bacon thrown in for good measure, both the crumbled bits on top and a little of the leftover bacon fat to bind a quick vinaigrette.

I ate it just as a quickly thrown together side to some leftover chicken, but this is an elegant layered salad party-perfect for a springtime get together.  Sweet, spicy, crunchy, and satisfying, proving yet again that simple ingredients treated with respect will always give you the best results!

Chipotle Honeyed Pears Over Pea Shoot Salad
2 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 - 1 teaspoon of chipotle pepper powder (depending on your heat tolerance)
1 package of pea shoots, broken up with your hands
3 slices of thick cut bacon
1 tablespoon bacon fat
1 lemon
freshly crumbled goat cheese, to your taste
salt and pepper to taste

First, saute the prepared pears in the butter over medium heat.

When the pears begin to wilt, add the chipotle powder and honey.  Saute for 1more minute, remove and let cool for a few minutes.

Prepare the bacon: cook 3 slices of thick cut bacon (I sliced mine in half to fit in the pan) over medium high heat until the fat has rendered and the slices are nice and crispy.  Drain on paper towels to remove excess fat to retain crispiness.  Crumble into bite-sized pieces

Build the salad by first tossing the bite sized pieces of pea shoots with the juice of one lemon, 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat, and salt and pepper to taste.

Top with the pears, then the crumbled bacon, then crumble the goat cheese over the salad to finish.  I think I used about 1/3 of a small goat cheese log but feel free to add as much as you like!  Enjoy!