This fresh Pear, blue cheese and Walnut Salad is a stunning Autumn/Winter salad with lots of contrasting textures and flavours. Ripe, sweet pears, salty cheese and sweet, crunchy candied nuts make a delightful combination.
It is delicious served as a light meal with fresh bread or as a side dish for a roast dinner, such as roast chicken. The salad is coated in a mustard-maple dressing, but you could just use a good quality olive oil and a scattering of sea salt flakes instead.
This salad was the result of a fridge clear-out and a New Year’s Day walk to the corner shop. I was lucky enough to find a very rare thing – a bag of perfectly ripe pears for mere pennies!!
I thought they would be perfect in a Winter salad with some crumbled blue cheese and crunchy walnuts.
I have to tell you that while this salad is delicious in its own right, it’s absolutely fabulous alongside a steak or a roast chicken – as is this butternut squash, cranberry and pecan salad.
It takes minutes to put together – you do have to make the candied walnuts ahead of time, but they don’t take very long at all.
ingredient notes
- I’ve used a packet of bitter Winter salad leaves here. Deep red Radicchio leaves would also work very well, not to mention look very pretty.
- Walnuts are the obvious and perfect choice with the blue cheese and pear, but pecans and hazelnuts would be good too. Whatever nut you choose, please don’t skip caramelising them – it makes the world of difference.
- The dressing is made with olive oil, Dijon mustard and maple syrup, but if I’m in a rush, I’ve been known to just toss the leaves in olive oil and crunchy sea salt flakes. When you’re pressed for time, it’s just as good.
- You can use any blue cheese you like here. I used Stilton cheese. If you don’t like blue cheese, I dare say Wesleydale would be a good substitute.
- You really need to use lovely juicy, ripe pears here. If there are disappointingly hard, it just won’t be the same.
How to make a pear, blue cheese and Walnut Salad
Step 1 – First of all, make the candied walnuts. It might seem a bit of effort to make these for a salad, but trust me – they are fantastic and make the salad a little bit “special.”
Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over a low to medium heat. When the nuts have toasted, quickly add 2 tablespoons of white or light brown sugar and allow the sugar to melt, swirling the pan (no stirring or the sugar will crystallise).
When the nuts are coated in caramel, quickly tip them onto a plate. Allow them to cool down (they will be ferociously hot!) before adding to the salad.
It might be helpful to note that you can make the nuts a few days in advance, if you’re planning on making this salad for a special gathering.
Step 2 – Make the dressing by placing the olive oil, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard and a little salt and pepper directly in the salad bowl. Using a fork or mini whisk, mix very well until everything is well combined.
Step 3 – Empty the salad leaves into the bowl. I used a mixture of spinach leaves, watercress and rocket. Using your hands, gently toss the salad leaves to coat them in the dressing.
Step 4 – Peel, core and quarter the pears and add them to the salad. Crumble the blue cheese over the salad leaves. Finally add the candied walnuts.
can this pear and blue cheese salad be made in advance?
Not really, no. Sorry! As I’ve already mentioned, you can make the candied walnuts a few days in advance, but the salad should be eaten as soon as it is assembled. Luckily, this takes just a few minutes of your time, so it’s no hardship.
This is such a beautiful Winter salad with so many different flavours and textures going on. I love it. I hope you give it a try and love it too.
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Pear, Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad
This fresh Pear and blue cheese salad with crunchy candied Walnuts is a beautiful Autumn/Winter salad that is delicious served as a light meal, starter or as a side dish alongside roast chicken or pork.
Ingredients
- 100g Walnuts
- 1 Tablespoon White Sugar
- 250G Fresh Salad Leaves (I like to use a mixture of Spinach, Rocket and Watercress, but any bitter Winter salad leaves would work, such as Radicchio)
- 4 Ripe Pears, peeled, cored and quartered
- 150G Stilton or Creamy Blue Cheese
- For the Dressing:
- 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the walnuts in a dry frying pan set over a low to medium heat. When the nuts are toasted and golden, immediately add the sugar. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and allow the sugar to slowly melt, swirling the pan to catch any sugar that is stuck to the sides of the pan. When the sugar has dissolved and the nuts are coated in caramel, quickly tip them out on a plate. Allow to cool before adding the the salad.
- Make the dressing by placing the olive oil, vinegar, mustard and maple syrup in the salad bowl. Using a fork or a mini whisk, whisk very well until you have salad dressing! Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Tip the salad leaves into the bowl. Using your hands, mix the salad and the dressing together, making sure all the leaves are lightly coated.
- Add the pears to the salad and crumble over the blue cheese. Add the walnuts. Serve immediately.
Notes
This salad needs to be eaten as soon as it has been made, but the candied walnuts could be made up to five days in advance.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 584Total Fat: 43gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 30gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 662mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 9gSugar: 26gProtein: 15g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.