Pear Gorgonzola Salad – A Couple Cooks

This candy and savory pear gorgonzola salad is a 5 star aspect dish! Juicy pears mingle with creamy cheese and maple pecans, all tossed in a tangy balsamic French dressing dressing.

In case you’re on the lookout for an all star aspect dish, this pear gorgonzola salad is the one. This gorgeous little salad may have you smitten, and it tastes simply pretty much as good as these swoon-worthy photographs we took! It’s a celebration of flavors and textures, with juicy pears, funky cheese, dried cherries, and maple pecans glazed shortly in a skillet. It’s all tossed in our go-to balsamic French dressing dressing, and from first chunk it should have you ever wanting extra!

Sorts of pears for pear gorgonzola salad

There are a number of various kinds of pears you’ll find on the grocery retailer. Just about something you’ll find works for this pear gorgonzola salad! The commonest varieties you’ll discover at grocery shops within the States are:

• Bartlett pear: This basic pear is often inexperienced with a rounded form. It’s identified for its mushy, juicy flesh and candy taste.
• Anjou pear (proven in photographs): This pear is available in each inexperienced and crimson varieties. Anjou pears are barely firmer than Bartletts and have a extra balanced candy and tart taste.
• Bosc pear: This kind has a deep brown pores and skin with recent, juicy flesh that has earthy notes.

The best way to ripen pears

Pears that you simply purchase from the grocery retailer are sometimes very agency and may take some time to ripen. They appear much like apples, however you possibly can consider them extra when it comes to bananas in relation to ripening. Listed here are some recommendations on ripen pears:

• The quickest option to ripen pears is to position them in a paper bag. Depart them at room temperature and they need to be ripe in 2 to 4 days.
• In a bowl on the counter, pears ripen in about 4 to 7 days. Test them by gently urgent the flesh to see whether it is tender.
• Don’t place pears within the fridge till they’re ripe. The fridge slows the ripening course of. In case you place them within the fridge immediately, they’ll be rock onerous. Enable them to ripen first, then refrigerate solely if you wish to delay consuming them.

Suggestions for maple glazed pecans

A enjoyable accent for this pear gorgonzola salad is the fast maple glazed pecans. Our normal recipe for candied pecans is baked and takes about half-hour. If we’re seeking to whip up a salad and we don’t have candied nuts available, we make these maple pecans!

It takes simply 5 minutes: you toast the nuts within the skillet, then add cinnamon and salt for 30 seconds. Flip off the warmth and stir within the maple syrup. It’s such a small quantity that it’s going to caramelize shortly with the residual warmth of the pan. Set them on a plate to dry whilst you make the remainder of the salad!

Gorgonzola vs blue cheese

Can you utilize blue cheese in a pear gorgonzola salad? Sure! Gorgonzola and blue cheese are phrases which are usually used interchangeably, however blue cheese is definitely a class of cheese whereas gorgonzola is a kind of blue cheese. Both cheese works right here!

• Gorgonzola is a cheese made in Italy. It’s constituted of cow’s milk and has a milder taste in comparison with different blue cheeses. Its texture varies from creamy and spreadable to crumbly, relying on the ageing course of.
• Blue cheese is a class of cheeses with blue veining from constituted of edible molds. This encompasses a wider vary of sorts, constituted of milks like cow, goat, or sheep (gorgonzola is a kind of blue cheese). Blue cheeses you discover on the retailer could be a lot stronger and sharper than gorgonzola.

Dressing variations for pear gorgonzola salad

This pear gorgonzola salad is scrumptious with the balsamic French dressing listed within the recipe beneath, which is considered one of our favourite salad dressing recipes on this web site! Nevertheless, it really works with different vinaigrette-style dressings as properly. Attempt one of many following:

Topping concepts

There are a great deal of concepts for various toppings for a pear gorgonzola salad. Maintain the greens and pears however swap in several cheese, nuts or different mix-ins for a flexible aspect. Listed here are a few of our high concepts:

• Dried cranberries or raisins can stand in for the cherries.
• Pomegranate seeds make a phenomenal pop of colour and will additionally substitute dried cherries.
• Feta crumbles or goat cheese crumbles work properly as an alternative to the cheese.
• Walnuts work in the identical manner because the maple pecans.
• Or, swap in almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, or pine nuts (strive toasting them first for the very best taste).
• Use pepitas so as to add one other crunchy aspect.

Add protein to make it a primary dish

This pear gorgonzola salad works in any season, although it’s an excellent fall salad or winter salad. It may be made into an immediate primary dish by topping with a protein. It really works properly with rooster or salmon, although you possibly can additionally add tofu as a vegetarian protein. Listed here are some recipes for cooking the protein:

Extra salad recipes

Fruit served over greens with nuts and a French dressing is our type of salad! Listed here are some extra of our favourite salad recipes that incorporate fruit: