Roasted Pear Salad with Candied Walnuts
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.
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.
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Get the Recipe: Bourbon Roasted Pear Salad Recipe
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
Equipment
- 1 skillet
- 1 serving bowl
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.
24 Comments on “Roasted Pear Salad with Candied Walnuts”
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!
What a gorgeous salad. I love all the goodies in it.
You had me at bourbon. I think this salad might be on the table (or in a bowl in my lap since we generally eat dinner in the living room) often. I read the the title to my husband and he said “that sounds like everything you like.” You are a culinary genius to create the perfect meal. And I’m going to be a triple 0?? Oh the joy.
Roasted pears with candied walnuts sound something I couldn’t resist! This salad looks amazing and surely tastes great too! 🙂
Thanks, Andi!
You take such gorgeous photos!! Love this beautiful salad!
I am right there with you. I want to be a big salad eater, I wish I would eat them every day. But this one with the pears sounds like something I could actually get behind!
This looks like a salad my husband and I could polish too. 🙂
I almost wouldn’t want to eat this because it just looks so pretty! Thanks for sharing such a great idea! 🙂
Yum, salad and bellinis. The perfect combo of naughty and nice!
Not only is this the prettiest salad I have seen in a long time, it sounds like it would taste AMAZING!
Damn, this salad would convert anyone to salad-loving!! Seriously in love with this! I usually do candied pecans for my salad, but I really like the idea of candied walnuts.