Pear and Blue Cheese Salad With Walnuts & Rocket

A pear and blue cheese salad is a classic autumn salad, this makes a perfect side dish, featuring seared pears, rocket (arugula) & walnuts.

Pear and Stilton Salad

Pears and blue cheese are an absolute genius paring, they just work!

In fact pear and cheese works in so many ways, I have a great deep fried Camembert recipe that I serve with caramelised pears too!

I have used the combination before in my baked pear with blue cheese recipe.

This salad embraces similar flavours but lightens up the whole feel of that dish.

This makes it a perfect side salad.

We have the earthy, sour and bold flavour of the cheese, this is joined by the sweetness of caramelised pears.

The dressing is a simple red wine vinegar and honey dressing that helps the flavours melt together.

Adding walnuts and peppery rocket, which is arugula for my US-based readers, rounds out this oh-so-simple yet sophisticated side dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sort of blue cheese should I use?

Stilton and pear is a classic combination. Stilton is a big and bold cheese that perfectly compliments the juicy sweet acidity of pears.

It can, however, be difficult (and expensive) to get your hands on if you are not in the UK.

In that instance, I would try and make this a pear and Roquefort salad.

It is slightly more acidic than Stilton cheese and as a result, I would be inclined to reduce the red wine vinegar in the dressing by a quarter.

Gorgonzola cheese would also make a perfectly good substitution with no deed to reduce the vinegar.

Can I make this in advance?

Not really, it is very much best served as a warm salad. However, it is a very simple dish to make and comes together in around 20 minutes.

Can I use other types of nuts?

Yes, this dish works wonderfully with both hazelnuts (cob nuts) and pecan nuts.

Serving Suggestions

This glorious pear and blue cheese salad is the perfect accompaniment to pork.

It is stunning served alongside anything from this slow roasted pork belly or perfectly cooked rump steak to this pork chop with blackberry sauce.

If you are looking to impress without working too hard then you should try it with this bacon wrapped pork tenderloin.

It can also be served as a light lunch salad, it works wonderfully with some croutons made from soda bread.

Simply toss them around in the pan to toast them in the butter after you have finished caramelising the pears!

Equipment Used

I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Stovetop.
• 28cm or 11″ frying pan or skillet.
• Mixing bowl.
• A jar to mix the dressing. You could also use a mixing bowl and whisk but I find that a jar gets a better emulsion in less time.
• Spatula.
• Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.