Zucchini, Celery Root, Pear, Gruyere, Pine Nut Salad

I had zucchini, celery root, pine nuts, a pear, parsley and some Gruyere in the fridge.  I needed to find a way to make a salad out of them to accompany a main course I had made. Turns out this ended up being an amazing combination, as the techniques I used created the fullest flavor for the ingredients involved. 

The pear was soft and uncooked.  The zucchini was al dente and seared on high heat with lots of garlic and olive oil. The celery root was shaved thin and blanched, thus soft and mellow. The toasted pine nuts and the crispy fried parsley added deeper flavors and crunch to the dish, while the Gruyere and a squeeze of lemon added a much needed punch.

This spontaneous salad made from leftovers confirmed a valuable lesson for me - brief cooking treatments to ingredients is a simple way to change their textures and add unexpected surprises to what could have been a very bland salad.