This Pear and Walnut Salad is the perfect fall and winter salad. Special enough for the holidays or served with a causal dinner at home. This salad consists of slices of juicy pear, crispy fried shallots, crumbed blue cheese and candied walnuts with peppery baby arugula and drizzled with a super simple sherry walnut vinaigrette.
There are three major things that make up a good salad.
1. Good lettuce. Like spinach, kale or arugula etc.
2. Toasted nuts (or seeds). Bonus points if they’re candied.
3. Cheese. Really any will do, but especially goat cheese, parmesan, feta, brie and of course blue cheese.
In this pear and walnut salad, I’ve covered all the bases. Peppery arugula, sweet and juicy sliced pears, tart pomegranate arils, tangy blue cheese and, my favorite… the crispy fried shallots and candied walnuts. Because this salad has a lot going on, I kept the dressing easy; just roasted walnut oil, aged sherry vinegar, salt and pepper.
To Make This Pear Walnut Salad You Will Need:
for the fried shallots:
- shallot – For delicate and sweet onion flavor.
- unsalted butter – Lends fat and flavor and aids deep caramelization of the shallot.
- kosher salt – Draws out flavor and helps soften the shallots while caramelizing.
sherry walnut vinaigrette:
- aged sherry vinegar – Adds acidity with a slightly sweet, rich and nutty flavor.
- kosher salt – Enhances the flavors in the vinaigrette.
- freshly ground black pepper – For added bite and flavor.
- roasted walnut oil – Lends richness and delicious nutty flavor.
for the salad:
- baby arugula – A fresh leafy green that is slightly bitter and peppery.
- pear – Use ripe, but overly ripe, bartlett, bosc or red pears. You only need 2, so pick your favorite.
- candied walnuts – Adds delicious texture and crunch, nutty and sweet flavor.
- blue cheese – Adds creaminess and sharp, earthy and tangy flavor.
- pomegranate arils – Adds a pop of color, texture and sweet tart flavor.
- freshly ground black pepper – For added bite and flavor.
You can make the candied walnuts a few days in advance or the morning of.
Make the Fried Shallots:
In a small skillet, add 1 large, thinly sliced shallot, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and a pinch oven kosher salt. Cook over medium to medium-low, stirring often and breaking up the shallots.
Adjust the heat to avoid burning. Once golden brown, transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to cool. The shallots will crisp up as they cool.
Arrange 5 ounces baby arugula onto a large platter or among individual bowls. Top with sliced pear, candied walnuts, fried shallots, blue cheese and pomegranate arils.
Drizzle the vinaigrette over top.
And serve!
This pear walnut salad has so much flavor and texture. I promise you’re going to love it!
Enjoy! And if you give this Pear and Walnut Salad recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Pear Walnut Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE SHALLOTS:
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 pinch kosher salt
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
- 2 tablespoons aged sherry vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons roasted walnut oil
FOR THE SALAD:
- 5 ounces baby arugula
- 2 pears, cored and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup candied walnuts, more or less to taste
- 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
MAKE THE FRIED SHALLOTS:
- In a small skillet, add the shallots, butter and a pinch of kosher salt. Cook over medium to medium-low heat, stirring often until golden.
- Transfer the shallots to a plate lined with paper towel and let cool. They'll crisp up as they cool.
MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE:
- In small bowl or jar, add the vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir until the salt dissolves. Add in the oil, stir and set off to the side.
MAKE THE SALAD:
- Arrange 5 ounces baby arugula onto a large platter or among individual bowls.
- Top with sliced pear, candied walnuts, fried shallots, blue cheese and pomegranate arils.
- Give the dressing a quick stir and drizzle desired amount over the salad.
- Lastly season with freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
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you know, i can never have too many salads with pears…and walnuts are PERFECTION with them.
go ahead, post more pear salad recipes…dare ya 😉
Oh, but pears are so perfect in salad! To be honest, I really don't like them on their own. I need the tang of a good vinaigrette to make them appealing, so I agree with Heather above, post away!!
This sounds so yummy! Love this idea 🙂
I love everything in this salad! The pear dressing sounds absolutely wonderful- can't wait to make it.
This sounds heavenly. I love all of the flavors and textures, and your photos are beautiful! So fresh and vibrant!
This looks delicious! I have been obsessed with making salads with sweet elements for about a month now. I don't normally use pears because I get impatient waiting for them to ripen, but they are so good on salad!
Giiiiiiiirl this looks so pimp!
Oh YUM. I second your thoughts on lettuce! Cant stand iceberg…
I am not as huge on nuts in my salad, but I'll take a few for the accent 🙂 The vinaigrette looks fabulous, and who doesn't love pear and apple in their salad? 🙂
WOW this salad looks amazing! You had me at pear vinaigrette! 🙂
yummy…tasty one..Bookmarked laurie
Aarthi
http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/
Such a classic pairing, looks delicious!
It's a work of art, I am hooked on Strawberries in salads.
Not over kill at all! Keep 'em coming!
I've never had pear vinagrette before, but it sounds amazing! And it's totally making me crave a huge bowl of this salad!
Have you tried roasted pears in a salad with blue cheese and nuts? Because shut up. I die. (I've been missing The Rachel Zoe Project and have taken to using her catch phrases. I don't always talk like this.) Its ba-nan-uhs with some bitter greens. Ugh. I'm done now. I'm off to find pear vinegar.
I'm on a bit of a diet lately, so this salad is right up my alley! I've been getting bored with my salads, so this comes at the perfect time for me!
now this is a salad i want to eat!!
This vinaigrette sounds awesome. You are right about iceberg too, tastes like nothing! Love this salad!
Yum, it sounds sounds delicious. Anything with pear is great! You have awesome pictures too.
I dream about marvelous looking salads. This one certainly fits that title. I love the posts since I am still trying to eat as many veggies as possible to get some of the extra sugar out of my system.
Need to buy Pear Vinegar NOW!!! I love vinaigrettes, and this one sounds amazing! Totally ok as a side to a Brownie lunch 🙂
This looks like my kind of salad-yum!
Bee – a – utiful! Love the colors!
Beautiful! LOVE salads with nuts, cheese and fruit!
ADORE your blog! I'm protesting all the January cleanse biz that people are on and trying to find healthier January food so will try your lime-baked tortilla chips & homemade salsa YUM
Stellar ingredients! I never knew that there was such a thing as pear vinegar! What a dressing to top off those fresh ingredients!
I, too, am a bit pear obsessed. Thanks for sharing this! I need a good winter salad!
Hey! This looks delicious…can i substitute the pear olive oil with something else? Lovely photos :-).
Hi Flavor Carousel! By chance did you mean pear vinegar? If you want a substitute for that try a tablespoons apple cider vinegar 🙂 hope this helps!
I love these sort of winter salads. I make a lot of variations – pears and walnuts are two of my favorite ingredients for them!
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