My Harvest Pear Salad is a colorful autumn salad that is as delicious as it is beautiful. It combines Spicy baby arugula, mixed greens, Bosc pears, red onion, Blue Cheese and candied walnuts with a sweet, tangy maple balsamic vinaigrette.
Just like in Autumn when we need to be wrapped in warmth, whether it is in cozy sweaters or thick lush blankets, so does our food. The star of this salad is the candied walnuts. Toasted and tossed in melted butter and spices they have a comforting sweet heat that warms the back of your throat.
The best part of my Autumn Harvest salad is its versatility. It can act as a side to a roast or another main dish or even a meal in itself. They can be made individually or family style. And Fall harvest has so many wonderful ingredients that you can easily change out anything you’d like. You just have to let your own imagination run wild!
The Method of a Harvest Pear Salad
ingredients:
- walnuts
- butter
- brown sugar
- kosher salt
- cayenne
- cinnamon
- mixed lettuces
- Arugula
- Bosc pear
- red onion
- blue cheese crumbles
- maple balsamic vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil
- Dijon mustard
The first step in making my harvest pear salad is to toast the walnuts in a dry skillet until you can smell the toasty aroma. Remove the walnuts and add butter to the skillet. Once melted add the rest of the ingredients and return walnuts to the skillet. Let cool. Almonds, pecans or even seeds like pumpkin or sunflower would also be a wonderful choice.
Next slice the pears, leaving the skins on. There are so many varieties too so pick what you like best. Alternatives to could be: apples, grapes, cranberries, pomegranates, figs, squashes or pumpkins.
Add your greens to your serving dish. I used mixed baby greens and arugula, but you could also use kale. Add some sliced onions and your other components. Lastly, add the blue cheese. Goat, Brie or Cheddar would be nice alternatives too.
Cook’s Notes:
serving suggestions for Harvest Pear Salad:
My Hearty Chicken Casserole or my Schnitzel would be great with this!
variations:
Instead of pears, try apples. A variety that is not too sweet or tart would work well.
The Essentials:
If you make this Harvest Pear Salad and love it, I would love for you to come back and give it 5 stars!
Harvest Pear and Candied Walnut Salad
This is the perfect autumn salad to accompany any dish!
- Cutting Board
- chef knife
- serving bowl
- mason jar ( for dressing)
- mixed lettuces
- arugula
- 1/2 bosc pear (skin on and sliced)
- red onion (1 thin slice and layers separated)
- blue cheese (crumbled on top)
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch of cayenne
- pinch of cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons maple balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- Add lettuce, arugula, pear, red onion and blue cheese to your serving dish.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts and toast. (you will know they are done when you can smell them).
- Remove walnuts and add butter. Once melted add next 4 ingredients. Return walnuts to pan, toss to coat and let cool.
- Add cooled nuts to salad.
- Combine vinegar, oil and mustard in a small jar with lid. Shake until combined. Pour over salad.
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