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Pear and blue cheese salad on two salad plates.
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5 from 1 vote

Pear and Blue Cheese Salad

Seasonal and elegant salad for entertaining and the holidays.
Prep Time30 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 313kcal

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • ½ cup safflower oil (or neutral salad oil, like canola)
  • 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • ¾ teaspoon coarsely cracked pepper
  • Pinch kosher salt

Salad

  • 2 large ripe, firm pears, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice ~ I used Bartlett but Anjou or Bosc work too)
  • 12 cups mixed greens, washed, crisped and chilled
  • Kosher slat and pepper
  • cup blue cheese, crumbled ~ I think I use more
  • ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

Instructions

  • For dressing, put all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously to combine.
  • Toss diced pears with scant ¼ cup dressing. Can be made 2 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate.
  • To serve, put greens in a large bowl and toss with remaining dressing. Divide among 6 plates and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
  • Scatter pears over greens, dividing evenly (or do like me and mound the pears in the center of the plate).
  • Lastly, garnish with crumbled blue cheese and then the pine nuts, again dividing evenly.  Serve immediately and enjoy.

Notes

Note:  To toast pine nuts, put in a small skillet over medium heat and shake and toss until fragrant and light brown.  Be careful because they burn easily.  Do not take your eyes off the prize.

Nutrition

Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 137mg | Potassium: 306mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 990IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 1mg