Thanksgiving salad with pears, Parmesan and pomegranate seeds, starring puff pastry croutons

Then we get to the pears, which have a lovely holiday vibe. Fruit in salad; it always feels special. And sophisticated.

And cheese! In this salad, we welcome shavings of Parmesan, one of the finest cheeses in the world, with it nutty taste and firm texture.

But finally — what makes this salad so special — is puff pastry croutons. I cannot stand packaged croutons. I feel sad when I see them, like they have downgraded my salad, and I will pick them out as quickly as possible. But I love fresh croutons. And I love puff pastry. And boy, do I love this combo.

Many of us think of puff pastry when it comes to desserts, but sometimes forget about how many ways it can be used in savory dishes. You will be amazed at how easy these croutons are to make. You simply cut out the shapes you want your croutons to be with mini cookie cutters (available online and wherever baking tools are sold). Or, just slice the puff pastry into squares or diamond shapes. Remove any excess dough, if needed, give the tops a quick brush with mayonnaise, and a sprinkle of finely grated Parmesan and salt, bake briefly and you have these adorable little croutons.

I had these tiny little leaf cookie cutters which were just perfect for an autumnal salad (Thanksgiving, I’m all over you). But I also cut them into diamonds and played with some other shapes. They worked every which way. They worked when I left the pastry dough in place around the cut outs, and they worked when I peeled up the excess puff pastry and left the cut out silhouetted on the parchment paper. The mayonnaise is like a cross between brushing them with egg and melted butter, both classic options for making pastry glossy and nicely browned. And the sprinkle of grated Parmesan and salt gives them a great punch of flavor.

They also keep in a sealed container for a few days, so you can make them ahead, or just store your leftovers for some very stylish snacking.

Note: Shaved Parmesan is simply Parmesan that has been very thinly sliced, or shaved, into smallish bite-sized pieces. You can actually buy it that way in many upscale supermarkets, in those little tubs. You can also grab a chunk of Parmesan and a vegetable peeler and shave off strips of the Parmesan (make sure you don’t get any of the rind). Very easy to do. Allow the Parmesan to sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before doing this, so the shavings will come off smoothly and not get crumbly (and if they get crumbly, toss those crumbles right into the salad).

Thanksgiving Holiday Salad

Serves: 6

Parmesan Puff Pastry Croutons

1 package puff pastry dough, defrosted and chilled

About 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, or more as needed

About 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese, or more as needed

Kosher salt to taste

Vinaigrette

1 large shallot, minced

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons honey

Kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad

4 cups baby arugula

4 cups thinly sliced romaine

2 pears, halved, cored, and thinly sliced

1/2 cup shaved Parmesan (see Note above)

1 cup pomegranate seeds, divided

Directions

Make the Puff Pastry Croutons: Unfold or unroll the puff pastry directly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Either cut the pastry into squares or diamond shapes, or any other shape you like, or use cookie cutters to cut the pastry into the desired shapes. You can pull up the dough around the shapes, and toss it, and then you will have croutons that are lightly browned on the sides as well as the top, or you can leave the whole sheet of pastry in place, and pop out the croutons once the whole thing has baked. If you have cut the pastry into diamonds, just leave everything in place.

Brush the tops of the pastry shapes with a very light wash of mayonnaise. Lightly sprinkle on some Parmesan, and then some salt.

Bake for 12 to 16 minutes (it depends on size of the pastry shapes, and whether or not you removed the extra pastry from around the cut out shapes.) When the dough is puffed up and a rich golden brown on top, it is done. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and allow the croutons to cool. If you need to pop the shapes out from the rest of the dough do that once the dough has cooled somewhat.

While the croutons are baking, make the vinaigrette. In a small container, combine the shallots, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and salt and pepper. Shake to blend.

Place the arugula and romaine in a large serving bowl. Add the pears, Parmesan, and half of the pomegranate seeds to the bowl. Pour the dressing on the salad, and toss to combine. Scatter the remaining pomegranate seeds over the top, distribute the puff pastry croutons over the salad, and serve. You may also choose to serve the salads on individual plates, and then top with the remaining pomegranate seeds, and the croutons.

Katie Workman writes regularly about food for The Associated Press. She has written two cookbooks focused on family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” She blogs at https://themom100.com/. She can be reached at Katie@themom100.com.

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