Local strawberries are ready to pick and they are very sweet and delicious. Time to dust off a classic strawberry salad for dinner! Last year, I was obsessed by goat cheese and strawberries (see this strawberry tart). Well, I still think goat cheese is a great combination with strawberries, so I added cheese to this favorite salad. The best way to hull strawberries is to use a pear corer, which has a sharp, thin blade to quickly cut out the leaves. The blue handle of the corer insures that you will never lose the tool in all the vegetable peelings!

Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Pecans

for the pecans:

• 1 cup pecans
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the pecans for 5 seconds. Drain, and toss immediately with sugars, salt and pepper. Spread on a lined sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.

for the dressing:

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper

Whisk together the vinegars with salt and pepper. While whisking, drizzle in the oil.

for the salad:

• 1 shallot, thinly sliced on a mandolin
• 2 strips of bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
• 1 pound fresh spinach, washed and dried
• 4 slices of bread, cut into rounds or wedges
• 8 ounces goat cheese
• 1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced

Toast the bread, then spread with goat cheese. Toss the spinach with the dressing. Garnish the spinach witih shallot, bacon, pecans, strawberries, and cheese-croutons.