In the movie
Ratatouille, the little chef Remy rejoiced
in discovering the pleasures of combining certain foods to maximize their
flavors. He would have certainly done
his happy dance after trying this Pear and Blue Cheese Salad!
When brought together on one plate, the five simple
ingredients used in this recipe create an explosion of taste and texture that
put it in my top five list of the best salads ever!
As true with many salads, you can adjust the amounts
according to your tastes. To make enough
for two people, I’m using:
- 3 ounces of salad greens
- 1 pear
- 3 ounces of blue cheese
- 1/4 cup of pecans
- 2 Tablespoons of salad dressing
You can choose your favorite variety of pears, just make sure that it is really (really!)
ripe.
I used Stilton blue
cheese. There are many varieties of blue cheese available at the grocery store,
all with a slightly different flavor; some much stronger than others. The price of blue cheese can vary dramatically depending on where it is from. If in doubt as to which one to buy, ask the
person in charge of the cheese counter to explain them. They may even offer you a taste test!
Whole pecans look nice
on the plate, but you can use chopped pecans as well.
A simple vinaigrette salad dressing is all you need for this
salad. You can make it yourself or buy your favorite brand.
Slice the pear in half and remove the core. I used a small paring knife and a melon
baller to remove the core.
Once the core is removed, you can cut the pear into slices
or chunks. To add a bit of a fancy touch
to the look, I cut the pear into slices, leaving 1/4 inch at the top
uncut. You can then fan the pear out on
the plate.
Assemble the salad right on the individual serving
plate. Start with the lettuce, then add
the pears. Crumble the blue cheese and dot it around the plate, then sprinkle
on the pecans. Finally, drizzle on some salad dressing.
You can serve this salad with some crusty bread and a glass
of wine.
Lunch is ready!
Enjoy!
You can view and print this recipe here.
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Lisa Freeman
I've been stalking Kathy's recipe files this week, and made this pear salad as a starter yesterday. Super easy! The blue cheese bits really give you an explosive taste in every bite. This tasted exactly like one of those salads you get in one of those fancy restaurants. My husband was impressed and even my 5 year old thought the pear and nuts were great (tho he refused to eat the blue cheese!). He didn't know what he was missing!
Another great recipe. Took me all of 10 minutes to throw together!