Q. My assignment for Thanksgiving is a salad. But when I was growing up, my family never had a salad on Thanksgiving. What's your advice?

A. Keep it simple. The salad is a preface to the feast, not a feast in itself. What that means is to resist the temptation to load it down with carrots, cukes, fruits, nuts and cheese. Pick one. Save the creamy dressing for another occasion and go with a vinaigrette.

For some families, salad is as much a part of the Thanksgiving feast as stuffing and cranberries. In this simple salad, pears bestow an autumnal touch. The balsamic dressing is so good, you'll want to make it year-round.

The vinaigrette can be made in advance and refrigerated. Salad greens can be washed tomorrow morning, loosely wrapped in paper towels and refrigerated in resealable plastic bags until ready to use. Slice and add pear to the salad just before dressing it.

MIXED GREENS WITH PEARS AND BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup walnut oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 to 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (may substitute 1 tablespoon sherry and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 cups mixed tender greens

3 pears

In a small bowl, add the oils and the vinegars and whisk to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. If serving immediately, set aside; otherwise, transfer the vinaigrette to an airtight container and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature when ready to serve.

Place the mesclun greens in a large bowl. Halve the pears lengthwise and core. Thinly slice each pear half lengthwise at full length to retain the pear shape. Add to the greens and toss. Shake the vinaigrette and add just enough to moisten the greens and pears (there will be some vinaigrette left over). Toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 187 calories, 1 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates, 16 g fat, no cholesterol, 2 g saturated fat, 41 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber