Pear And Gorgonzola Salad with Candied Pecans
This Pear and Gorgonzola Salad with Candied Pecans is an autumn staple! It’s one of my go-to entertaining salads because it’s easy to prep in advance and it tastes amazing.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 436kcal
Ingredients
Dressing
- 6 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
- pinch of salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar or honey
- 1-2 teaspoons lime or lemon juice
Candied Pecans
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
- pinch cayenne (optional)
Salad
- 8 cups field greens washed and dried
- 4 ounces gorgonzola cheese crumbled
- 1 pear ripe, washed and quartered into thin slices
Instructions
Dressing
- Whisk all ingredients for dressing together and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Candied Pecans
- Heat the sugar and pecans over a medium heat until sugar begins to melt.
- Shake pan and stir pecans so that they are lightly coated with sugar, add pinch of cayenne if desired. When sugar begins to turn caramel colored.
- Turn off heat and dump nuts on a cookie sheet to cool. Break up nuts when cool.
For the Salad
- Divide field greens or arugula between 4 plates. Arrange 1/4 sliced pear on each plate. Top with crumbled gorgonzola and candied pecans. Drizzle with salad dressing.
Notes
For the dressing I made, the pear vinegar was a bit sweet so I omitted the sugar went for a 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Taste...taste...taste! Citrus will cut the sweetness and make the flavors pop. I skipped the garlic, since I didn't want the flavors of the salad to be overwhelmed by the garlic.