Pear Gorgonzola Salad – A Couple Cooks

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

In the event you’re in search of an all star facet dish, this pear gorgonzola salad is the one. This beautiful 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 rapidly in a skillet. It’s all tossed in our go-to balsamic French dressing dressing, and from first chew it can have you ever wanting extra!

Forms of pears for pear gorgonzola salad

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

• Bartlett pear: This traditional pear is usually inexperienced with a rounded form. It’s recognized for its comfortable, juicy flesh and candy taste.
• Anjou pear (proven in photographs): This pear is available in each inexperienced and pink 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 contemporary, juicy flesh that has earthy notes.

How you can ripen pears

Pears that you just purchase from the grocery retailer are sometimes very agency and may take some time to ripen. They appear much like apples, however you’ll be able to consider them extra by way of bananas in the case of ripening. Listed here are some recommendations on tips on how to ripen pears:

• The quickest solution to ripen pears is to put 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. Examine 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 the event you place them within the fridge immediately, they’ll be rock exhausting. Permit them to ripen first, then refrigerate solely if you wish to delay consuming them.

Ideas for maple glazed pecans

A enjoyable accent for this pear gorgonzola salad is the short maple glazed pecans. Our commonplace recipe for candied pecans is baked and takes about half-hour. If we’re trying 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’ll caramelize rapidly with the residual warmth of the pan. Set them on a plate to dry when you make the remainder of the salad!

Gorgonzola vs blue cheese

Can you employ blue cheese in a pear gorgonzola salad? Sure! Gorgonzola and blue cheese are phrases which might be typically 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 made out 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 growing old course of.
• Blue cheese is a class of cheeses with blue veining from made out of edible molds. This encompasses a wider vary of types, made out of milks like cow, goat, or sheep (gorgonzola is a kind of blue cheese). Blue cheeses you discover on the retailer may 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 under, which is one in all our favourite salad dressing recipes on this web site! Nonetheless, it really works with different vinaigrette-style dressings as properly. Strive one of many following:

Topping concepts

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

• Dried cranberries or raisins can stand in for the cherries.
• Pomegranate seeds make a good looking pop of colour and will additionally substitute dried cherries.
• Feta crumbles or goat cheese crumbles work properly as an alternative choice to the cheese.
• Walnuts work in the identical method 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 factor.

Add protein to make it a principal 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 instantaneous principal dish by topping with a protein. It really works properly with rooster or salmon, although you would 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 model of salad! Listed here are some extra of our favourite salad recipes that incorporate fruit: