Fennel and Asian Pear Salad with Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 1 medium (about 10 ounces) fennel bulb
• 1 Asian pear
• Wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Crunchy salt (Maldon or fleur de sel if you have it)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

First, prepare the fennel. Remove the long stalks and fronds, reserving some of the fronds for garnish if you’d like. Trim away any bruises on the fennel bulb’s outermost layer, and then cut it in half from root to stalk, and trim the root end. Working with one-half of the bulb at a time, use a sharp knife or a mandoline to slice the fennel very thinly, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Set aside.

Then, prepare the Asian pear. Slice it in half and discard the core. With your sharp knife or mandoline, slice it very thinly, as with the fennel. Set aside.

Now, compose your salad. Layer the elements on a large platter, one at a time: a layer of fennel, a drizzle of olive oil, a layer of Asian pear, a drizzle of lemon juice, a sprinkling of salt, ribbons of cheese (shaved with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife). Repeat these layers until you run out of ingredients. (Alternately, you can simply toss everything together in a large bowl. Perhaps not as pretty, but no less delicious!)

Finish the salad with generous splashes of olive oil and lemon, a few more ribbons of cheese, a couple of reserved fennel fronds (optional), salt and pepper.

Recipe found at: http://delightfulcrumb.com/2012/03/the-in-between-fennel-pear-salad/