Some food combinations are simply iconic—think bacon and eggs, seafood and lemon, or apples and cinnamon. But for a truly sophisticated and utterly delicious pairing, few can rival the harmonious blend of pears and blue cheese. This Blue Cheese and Pear Salad stands as the quintessential cool-weather side dish, showcasing the delicate sweetness of fresh Bartlett pears, the pungent tang of blue cheese, the delightful crunch of candied pecans, all brought together with a vibrant maple vinaigrette. When you embrace these flavorful Fall Salad Recipes, you’ll find yourself eagerly anticipating the colder months, no longer missing summer’s bounty.

An exemplary choice for any Fall or Winter Salad, this Pear Salad with Gorgonzola (or your favorite blue cheese) is a welcome and impressive addition to any meal, from a casual weeknight dinner to an elegant holiday spread.

Exquisite Blue Cheese and Pear Salad, beautifully composed in layers on a white, oval platter, ready to be served. — Experience the elegance of a composed Blue Cheese and Pear Salad, featuring a maple vinaigrette and candied pecans.

Contents

Why This Blue Cheese and Pear Salad is a Must-Try

This Blue Cheese and Pear Salad isn’t just a recipe; it’s an experience, especially when presented as a composed salad. Here’s why it deserves a spot on your table:

Elegant Presentation: When preparing salads for guests, a composed salad elevates the dining experience with its artful arrangement. Unlike a tossed salad, where ingredients mingle freely, a composed salad (or Salade Composée as the French call it) features ingredients meticulously arranged in distinct sections—be it in neat rows, concentric circles, or creative wedges. This visual appeal makes it an instant showstopper.
Perfect Flavor Harmony: The combination of sweet, crisp pears, salty and tangy blue cheese, crunchy candied pecans, and the rich, sweet-savory maple vinaigrette creates a symphony of flavors and textures in every bite. It’s a sophisticated yet comforting blend that captures the essence of autumn and winter.
Versatile for Any Occasion: While it presents beautifully for special occasions, the core ingredients and dressing are simple enough for a flavorful weeknight meal. For a relaxed dinner, you can simply toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl. For entertaining, a little extra effort in arranging transforms it into an impressive culinary centerpiece.
Seasonal Celebration: This recipe highlights fresh, seasonal ingredients at their peak. Pears are abundant in the cooler months, and this salad celebrates their natural sweetness, making it a perfect antidote to the heavier dishes often associated with fall and winter dining.

Essential Ingredients for Your Pear and Blue Cheese Salad

Crafting the perfect Blue Cheese and Pear Salad begins with selecting high-quality ingredients. Each component plays a crucial role in building the salad’s distinct flavor profile and textural complexity.

Maple Vinaigrette Base:
- Mayonnaise: Acts as an emulsifier, lending creaminess and body to the dressing. Brands like Hellmann’s or Duke’s are excellent choices for their consistent quality.
- Real Maple Syrup: This is non-negotiable! Avoid artificial maple-flavored syrups. Real maple syrup provides a deep, natural sweetness that beautifully complements the other flavors in the salad.
- Champagne Vinegar: Offers a milder acidity than white vinegar, with subtle floral notes that enhance the dressing without overpowering it. White wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used as alternatives, but champagne vinegar is highly recommended for its delicate character.
- Sugar: A small amount helps to balance the acidity of the vinegar and enhance the sweetness of the maple syrup.
- Olive Oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Brands like California Olive Ranch offer a robust yet smooth flavor that enriches the vinaigrette.
Salad Components:
- Mixed Baby Greens: A versatile base that provides a crisp, slightly bitter contrast. Baby spinach or arugula are fantastic alternatives, each adding its own unique peppery or earthy notes to the mix.
- Fresh Pears: Bartlett pears are ideal for this salad due to their juicy sweetness and soft texture when ripe. Other excellent choices include Anjou, Bosc, or Comice pears. Ensure they are ripe but still firm enough to slice easily. Cut them in half, core them, and then slice thinly for elegant presentation.
- Blue Cheese: The star of the show! Use your favorite variety, crumbled or cubed. Maytag blue cheese offers a strong, creamy tang, while Gorgonzola provides a slightly milder, buttery flavor. For an even creamier experience, consider Cambazola, a delightful combination of blue cheese and brie. The choice of blue cheese can significantly impact the salad’s overall character, so experiment to find your preferred intensity.
- Candied Pecan Halves: These add a crucial element of crunch and a contrasting sweetness. While you might find them in specialty markets, making them at home is simple and yields superior results. Melt butter and brown sugar in a skillet, then toss in pecan halves until caramelized and glossy (detailed instructions are provided in the recipe card below).

A close-up of the beautifully arranged Blue Cheese and Pear Salad on a white, oval ceramic plate, highlighting its vibrant colors and textures. — The delightful textures and colors of the Blue Cheese and Pear Salad, an ideal choice for fall and winter menus.

The Perfect Fall & Winter Salad: A Balanced Flavor Profile

With pears at the peak of their season, this salad is perfectly suited for autumn and winter menus. When vibrant red tomatoes are a distant memory, it’s the ideal time to embrace the season’s best and ripest produce. The maple vinaigrette is the ultimate dressing for this dish, offering a subtle sweetness that beautifully plays off the crisp, slightly bitter greens and the tangy, assertive blue cheese.

The secret to the dressing’s success lies in using real maple syrup. Mass-marketed brands with artificial maple flavoring simply won’t achieve the rich, nuanced depth required. You have the flexibility to customize this Pear Gorgonzola Salad (or with any blue cheese you prefer) to your liking: use baby spinach instead of mixed greens, purchase pre-candied nuts for convenience, or select your absolute favorite blue cheese. This adaptability ensures your salad is always a personalized delight.

Mastering the Art of Composed Fall Salad Recipes

A composed salad is more than just a meal; it’s a work of culinary art. Arranged rather than tossed, it delivers an impressive presentation that elevates any dining experience. Here’s how to create a visually stunning and delicious composed salad for your fall and winter gatherings:

Understanding the Composed Salad: A composed salad is distinguished by its artful arrangement of ingredients in distinct sections or patterns on a platter. This methodical approach ensures each element is showcased individually, offering a delightful visual and textural journey. It typically requires at least three different ingredients to create visual interest. Be mindful not to overcrowd your platter with too many components.
Choosing Your Platter: Select a serving platter that is large enough to comfortably hold all your ingredients without them overlapping excessively. An oval or rectangular platter often works well for linear arrangements, while a round platter might lend itself to concentric circles or spoke-like designs.
Strategic Arrangement: Once you have your platter, plan your layout. For this pear salad, ingredients are often arranged in linear sections, creating neat rows. However, you can also group ingredients into elegant piles, or even arrange them like the spokes of a bicycle wheel, radiating from a central point. Consider the natural shapes and sizes of your ingredients to inspire your design.
Color and Texture Contrast: Pay attention to the colors and textures of your ingredients. Alternate darker and lighter components to create visual appeal. Keep ingredients of similar colors separated and be mindful of separating similarly shaped items to avoid monotony. For instance, place your vibrant greens next to the pale pears, and then alongside the darker candied pecans, interspersed with the white and blue crumbles of cheese.
Dressing on the Side: Crucially, do not dress the composed salad before serving. The dressing can cause delicate greens to wilt and may make the arrangement appear messy. Instead, pass the maple vinaigrette separately, allowing each diner to add their preferred amount. This keeps the salad looking fresh and crisp throughout the meal.
Thoughtful Serving Tools: Provide appropriate serving utensils, such as a salad fork and spoon or salad tongs, so guests can easily select their desired ingredients and quantities. This enhances the interactive aspect of a composed salad, making the dining experience more enjoyable.

Frequently Asked Questions About Blue Cheese & Pear Salad

What Ingredients Are Best for Fall and Winter Salads?

When the vibrant hues of summer produce fade, it’s time to shift focus to the season’s robust and flavorful offerings. Pears, at their peak ripeness, are ideal for fall and winter salads like this one. A maple vinaigrette perfectly complements the crisp, slightly bitter greens and tangy cheese, providing a touch of sweetness. Other wonderful ingredients to consider for your cool-weather salads include crisp apples, bright oranges and grapefruits, sweet figs, tart dried cranberries, jewel-like pomegranate arils, crunchy pecans or walnuts, hearty baby kale, roasted Brussels sprouts, various types of squash, and sweet potatoes. These ingredients bring a wealth of flavor, texture, and nutrition to your seasonal salads.

What Is A Composed Salad?

A composed salad, known as Salade Composée in French, is a salad where ingredients are artfully arranged rather than tossed together. This intentional placement creates an impressive visual presentation, making it a beautiful centerpiece for any meal. The ingredients are typically grouped in sections, rows, or other decorative patterns on a platter before being drizzled with dressing at the time of serving. This method maintains the integrity of each ingredient and highlights its unique color, texture, and shape.

Can This Pear Salad Recipe Be Made Ahead?

Absolutely! Many components of this Blue Cheese and Pear Salad can be prepared in advance to save time. The maple vinaigrette can be made and stored in the refrigerator for several days. You can also prepare the candied pecans and crumble the blue cheese ahead of time. However, it is crucial to wait to slice the fresh pears until just before serving, as they will oxidize and turn brown when exposed to air. If you need to slice them 10-15 minutes in advance, a quick trick is to lightly coat the pear slices with a bit of the salad dressing. The dressing acts as a barrier, minimizing oxidation and keeping your pears looking fresh and appealing.

How Can I Prevent Pears from Browning?

Pears, like apples, contain enzymes that react with oxygen, causing them to brown. To minimize this, slice your pears right before you plan to serve the salad. If you absolutely need to slice them a little in advance, toss them gently in a small amount of the maple vinaigrette, lemon juice, or even a diluted mixture of water and vinegar. The acid creates a protective layer that slows down the oxidation process, keeping your pear slices looking fresh and appetizing for longer.

What Wine Pairs Well with Blue Cheese and Pear Salad?

The rich flavors of blue cheese and sweet pears call for a wine that can stand up to their intensity while also offering a refreshing contrast. A sweet dessert wine like a Sauternes or an Oloroso Sherry can be a surprising yet excellent pairing, complementing the sweetness of the pears and cutting through the richness of the cheese. For a drier option, a crisp Sauvignon Blanc with its grassy notes or an off-dry Riesling with its fruity acidity would also pair beautifully, balancing the flavors without overpowering them.

More Winter Salads You’ll Enjoy

If you’ve fallen in love with the seasonal flavors of this Blue Cheese and Pear Salad, explore other delightful options for your cooler-weather meals:

Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Chopped Salad from La Bella Vita Cucina
Kitchen Sink Chopped Salad
Holiday Lettuce Salad
Roasted Fall Vegetable Salad
Apple Cherry and Walnut Salad
Discover more of the Best Salad Recipes

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The Recipe:

Blue Cheese and Pear Salad Recipe

Prep Time
20 minutes

Total Time
20 minutes

Yield
4-6 servings

A lovely autumnal salad featuring sweet pears, tangy blue cheese, crunchy candied pecans, and a delicate maple vinaigrette. Perfect for a side dish or light main during the fall and winter seasons.

Ingredients

Maple Vinaigrette

¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup real maple syrup
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
½ cup olive oil

Salad

1 5-ounce bag of mixed baby greens
2 large, ripe Bartlett pears, halved, cored, and sliced thinly
1 cup cubed or crumbled blue cheese (Maytag or Gorgonzola recommended)
1 cup candied pecan halves*

Instructions

To make the salad dressing, whisk together the mayonnaise, maple syrup, champagne vinegar, and sugar in a medium bowl. While continuously whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified and smooth.
Set the dressing aside while you prepare the remaining salad ingredients.
For a composed salad presentation, artfully arrange the mixed baby greens, sliced pears, blue cheese, and candied pecans on a flat serving platter as desired.
Just before serving, drizzle the prepared maple vinaigrette over the salad. Serve immediately.
*To make one cup of candied pecans: In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the pecan halves and toss to coat them evenly. Stir in 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and continue to cook and stir until the sugar melts and caramelizes, coating the pecans. Carefully remove the candied pecans to a sheet of parchment paper or non-stick foil and allow them to cool completely before adding them to the salad.

Notes

Pears will begin to discolor and turn brown shortly after being cut due to oxidation. To maintain their fresh appearance, it’s best to slice them just before assembling and serving the salad. Alternatively, you can lightly coat the sliced pears with a small amount of the prepared maple vinaigrette or a splash of lemon juice; this creates a barrier that helps to slow down the oxidation process.

Sweet Pear and Sharp Blue Salad