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Roasted Pear Walnut Goat Cheese Salad Recipe

How to make a roasted pear, walnut and goat cheese salad.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
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.