Roasted Pear Walnut Goat Cheese Salad Recipe

A Romantic Valentine's Day Salad

I am convinced that making a great salad is within everyone's grasp. The secret is in knowing how to make a great, basic vinaigrette and then in dressing it up in any number of ways so it complements your salad ingredients.

A salad should be a refreshing and healthful combination of flavors and textures: a mixture of tender and crisp greens, the interplay of sweet against salty against bitter. Start thinking of salad composition in terms of these contrasts, and you will be able to put together a great version for your Valentine.

A Romantic Valentine's Day Meal For Her

Be sure to check out my previous post on putting together a romantic home cooked meal for your sweetheart and look for upcoming blog posts for more ideas and recipes. So far I have talked about:

• Romantic Valentine's Day Meal Suggestions
• Romantic Cheese Course
• Lobster Bisque Recipe

and I put it all together with music and flower suggestions, along with cooking videos and polls on my new Squidoo Lens, A Romantic Valentine's Day Dinner. Please check it out, give it a rating and send me your comments at the end.

Some Other Salad Options

One of the simplest and most classic salads is the Caesar Salad, a combination of crisp lettuce, crunchy croutons and buttery-sharp Parmesan cheese dressed with a rich, creamy dressing. I have a great recipe for Caesar Salad on my web site but if you are in a hurry and you want to take a shortcut, there are some good Caesar Salad kits that you can purchase at the grocery store. Look for the Dole, Fresh Express, or Cardini brands.

Although making a basic vinaigrette is easy, there is another shortcut I have been know to make and my dinner guests are amazed when I tell them how I made the salad dressing. I'm sure you have all seen the Good Seasons Italian dressing that comes with the glass cruet.

If you use a combination of virgin olive oil and canola oil (I call it a chef's blend) and use it with balsamic vinegar, you end up with a very tasty quick and easy, down and dirty salad dressing. You can even add a little Dijon mustard to give it a little more flavor.

I know it doesn't sound gourmet, but give it a try and let me know.

📖 Recipe

Print Recipe

Roasted Pear Walnut Goat Cheese Salad Recipe

How to make a roasted pear, walnut and goat cheese salad.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: salad

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

For the Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 pinch salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon shallot minced
• ¼ teaspoon Herbs de Provence
• ½ roasted pear pureed in a food processor or just mashed very well with a fork
• ¾ cup olive oil

For the Salad

• mixed baby greens
• romaine lettuce
• 1 Bosc pear
• 2 tablespoons butter divided
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 ounces walnut pieces
• 2 ounces goat cheese crumbled
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• For the Vinaigrette
• In a large bowl, combine the vinegars, mustard, honey, salt, pepper, shallot, herbs and pear puree. Whisk well to combine.
• While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in ¾ cups of oil. Adding the oil slowly while whisking will help to ensure that you get a nice emulsion and don't end up with oil floating sadly on top of the rest of your dressing ingredients.
• Taste, and correct seasonings. You may need to add a little more salt, pepper, herbs or even honey. If you find the vinaigrette a little sharp, whisk in the last ¼ cup of oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you like the balance.

For the Salad

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Wash and dry the lettuces. Set aside in a large bowl in the refrigerator.
• Wash, halve and core the pear.
• Melt the butter.
• Toss walnut pieces with half the melted butter and a pinch of salt. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven, just until they begin to turn golden, about 5-7 minutes. Watch them carefully, you don't want to burn them.
• Stir the honey into the other half of the melted butter. Brush onto the cut side of the pears. Place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and roast until pears start to take on some color, about 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven.
• Let the nuts and the pears cool. Slice or cube the roasted pear.
• Put the pears, goat cheese and walnuts in the bowl with the lettuce. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle on ¼ - ⅓ cup of dressing and toss gently but thoroughly. Serve.

Notes

You will have more dressing than you need for two salads. You can either make a half-recipe or save the excess to use during the next week or so.

For less work, you do not have to roast the pears, especially if they are nice and juicy. As well, you may toast the nuts without the butter, but do toast them"”their flavor will be much more pronounced.