Pear and Blue Cheese Salad

Romaine Hearts salad with blue cheese, pears, and pecans on a white and gray plate.

Course: Salad

Cuisine: French

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: elegant salad recipe, romaine hearts salad

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 0

Chilling Time: 2

Total Time: 2 10

Servings:

Calories: 473kcal

This simple pear blue cheese salad recipe is perfect for fall and winter! It uses seasonal ingredients and has a homemade blue cheese vinaigrette.

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US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Ingredients

1 head romaine lettuce
1 large pear or two small ones
½ cup pecan halves
4 oz blue cheese
3 tablespoon heavy cream
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
6 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Two hours before serving, or the night before, melt half of the blue cheese into the heavy cream in a small sauce pan. Stir to combine, and put in the refrigerator to chill.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard until it is fully emulsified to make a vinaigrette. Add the chilled blue cheese mixture to the vinaigrette and whisk thoroughly to combine.
In a small skillet, toast the pecans over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Just until you can smell their pecan-ness.
Thinly slice the pear.
Leaving the core of the lettuce in place so the leaves hold together, slice the romaine hearts into fourths. If possible slice each fourth in half again. (You might not be able to get these into such small wedges, depending upon out tightly packed the leaves are.)
Place the romaine hearts on a platter, drizzle with the blue cheese vinaigrette, top with remaining blue cheese crumbles, pecans, pear slices, and serve.

Notes

I used Millican Pecans in this recipe, because they only sell pecans from the most recent harvest. (Pecans at the store can be up to two years old!) Give them a try - the difference in flavor is unbelievable, and you'll be supporting a family business!
This recipe was adapted from Tasting Paris, by Cotilde Dusoulier. It's a beautiful book with recipes from breakfast to cocktails to dessert, and incredible photos of not just food, but locations all over Paris.

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