This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Bourbon Roasted Pear Salad with Gorgonzola is dressed with a light and tangy apple cider vinaigrette, perfect for the holiday season. Juicy pears roasted with bourbon and brown sugar then combined with leafy greens, blue cheese and sweet, crunchy candied walnuts for the most memorable salad ever.
Roasted Pear Salad
Pears are prime this time of year and what better way to enjoy them than roasted in bourbon and brown sugar. This Bourbon Roasted Pear Salad recipe is the most festive salad for the holiday season and beyond. The roasting process makes the pears even more tender and juicy, perfect for topping a pile of leafy greens.
This salad is inspired by the Pear and Gorgonzola Salad at Neiman Marcus and it was simply amazing. AMAZING. I still think about that salad with soft, roasted pears and creamy gorgonzola on a bed of lettuce. It was dressed with a light vinaigrette which was tangy and a bit citrusy. It was the first time in my entire life that I craved a salad.
It’s the perfect start to Thanksgiving dinner or a Christmas Brunch and the homemade dressing you’ll be making on repeat.
Fresh and Simple Ingredients
- Fresh Pears – I like to use Bosc pears, Anjou pears or Bartlett pears because they’re firm enough to hold up while roasting. If you can find Harry and David Royal Riviera Pears, they are amazing in this recipe. Be sure you use ripe pears.
- Bourbon – I used bourbon to roast the pears, if you want to skip the alcohol, you can substitute with apple cider.
- Brown Sugar – Rich caramelization on the pears begins and ends with brown sugar. You can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar.
- Spring Mix – The base of the salad is spring mix but I do add in chopped romaine lettuce, baby spinach and red leaf lettuce, on occasion.
- Pomegranate Arils – Juicy Pomegranate Seeds burst with freshness and are a must in any fall salad.
- Candied Walnuts – I like to make my own Candied Walnuts but you can find them in a well stocked grocery store.
- Gorgonzola cheese – A pungent, sharp blue cheese works well with to balance the sweetness of the pears. If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, you can substitute with feta cheese or parmesan cheese.
- Seasoning – Kosher salt and black pepper are all we use to give this fresh salad a pop of seasoning.
- Apple Cider Vinaigrette – The dressing ingredients are fairly simple and include apple cider vinegar, garlic, shallot, parsley, thyme and extra virgin olive oil. To add sweetness, you can whisk in a tablespoon of maple syrup.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to Make Pear Salad
This fall salad is an easy recipe and starts by roasting pears with brown sugar and bourbon because bourbon makes everything epically better.
- Cut the pears in half on a cutting board and core using a melon baller or spoon.
- Sear the pear halves in a skillet in a single layer over medium high heat until browned.
- Reduce the temperature to medium heat. Sprinkle the pears with brown sugar and add bourbon to deglaze the pan.
- Turn the pears over and roast in the oven. Cool the pears to room temperature.
- Arrange the mixed greens in a large bowl and top with the pears, cheese, walnuts and pomegranates.
- Make the salad dressing in a small bowl by whisking the ingredients together until emulsified.
- Dress the salad right before serving to prevent wilting.
I topped the whole thing with a creamy gorgonzola, fresh pomegranate seeds and candied walnuts. You can add thinly sliced red onion and to make it even more memorable, I whipped up an easy Apple Cider Vinaigrette. It’s the perfect pear salad.
What to Serve with Pear Salad
This Pear Salad would be the perfect start to any holiday feast. It’s pretty large so it’s great to feed a crowd as a first course. The salad would also be a great lunch with this Baked Tomato Bisque and maybe a few of these Bellinis. And then, possibly, a nap.
More Easy Salad Ideas
For more easy salad recipes, follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
Bourbon Roasted Pear Salad Recipe
Equipment
- 1 skillet
- 1 serving bowl
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 Royal Riviera Pears, cut in half and cored (You can use Bosc or Bartlett pears, as well)
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 16 ounces spring mix
- 1 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
- 1 cup candied walnuts
- 3/4 cup pomegranate arils
- For the dressing:
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Season the cut side of the pears with salt and pepper. Place the pears in the skillet cut side down and cook for about 2 minutes or until they are browned.
- Sprinkle the pears with the brown sugar and add the bourbon to the pan to deglaze. Turn the pears over and transfer the skillet to the oven.
- Roast the pears for about 10 minutes or until the pears are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork. Transfer the pears to a plate until cool enough to handle. (The pears can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator.)
- Cut the pears in half again (so, the whole pear is now quartered.) Place the greens in a large salad bowl. Top the greens with the pears, gorgonzola, walnuts and pomegranate.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, apple cider, garlic, shallot, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil until thoroughly combined.
- Top the salad with 1/2 the dressing and serve immediately with the remaining dressing on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was phenomenal fun to cook, felt “chefy” but simple steps and fancy enough to impress guests while you can make most of it ahead. I made it for myself because I believe in treating yourself to lovely meals even if single. Only thing I’m curious about is where does the butter get used? Maybe in the browning of the pears? I didn’t see it mentioned in the recipe. Your walnuts are killer! This is a keeper
Thank you so much! Yes, the butter is supposed to be in the pan to brown the pears. We updated the recipe when we retested it in November and I forgot to add it into the instructions. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Simply the best salad!! It is my ‘go-to” salad for entertaining, and it never fails to get rave reviews!
I’m happy you liked it! Happy New Year!
Made this last night & it is AMAZING !!! I didn’t have bourbon but used Irish Whiskey, which worked fine. After I roasted the pears in the oven, I used the residual liquid and added it to the vinaigrette. I did add a little more Apple Juice than what it called for and 1 tsp of honey and only 2 TLB of peanut oil. My husband, who doesn’t like to try new salads (yes… we are talking “old school Thousand Island Dressing on all salads….ugh!!) absolutely loved it. I even made him eat it with gorgonzola chz and he loved it!!! The only thing I did not add were the pomegranate arils, only bc I hate them. Sorry. But it was still outstanding. One of the best salads I have ever experienced in my life.
My favorite comment ever….I’m so glad you loved the salad! It’s definitely a hit whenever I make it. I’m glad your husband loved it, too. Husbands can be difficult with the salads. LOL!
These salads are beautiful to look at and I’m sure as tasty as they look. However, they are also very expensive to make. It would have to be a very Special Occasion for me to dole out the bucks on these salads.
This is definitely one that I save for special occasions.
I made this and it was so much fun to make and it was a hit. Making again tonight for a much bigger crowd.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you love it…it’s my favorite recipe!
Absolutely gorgeous. I love your rustic bowl, where did you find it?
That roasted pears sound delicious!
Gorgonzola and pear is one of my favorite flavor combos! Loving the bourbon!