Pear and Blue Cheese Salad

I made this salad to take to a holiday dinner, but I made it first just for my family to make sure that we liked it. I made a recipe to serve 6. When I took the salad to the holiday dinner I increased the recipe to serve 12, but I still made the dressing according to the recipe for 6 and there was plenty of dressing for the larger amount of salad ingredients. This is our new favorite salad recipe. I was a little hesitant when I started pricing walnut oil at the grocery stores, but I saw it at three different stores for 3 different prices ranging from $3.99-$11.95. I would definitely use the walnut oil and not substitute another type of oil. I can't wait to find more recipes calling for walnut oil. It really adds a nice touch.

Cha-ching! I loved this - everyone loved it. Only thing I did differently is I subbed honey for the maple syrup which I always do when it's called for in any recipe and I used just a bit less brown sugar. I can't stand the flavor of maple syrup anywhere but on my pancakes. This dressing was excellent, unique and complimented the ingredients of this salad perfectly. This will be made often. Thanks Sperl25.

Better than 5 stars!!! I made this salad exactly as it's listed and it was awesome. I had a ton of dressing left over. Since there are so many great ingredients and flavors in this salad a little bit of dressing went a long way. All of the ingredients in this salad complimented each other. I will pass this recipe off to my friends and definitely make again.

This is my favorite salad to make but definitely just use half the dressing or it is too 'soupy' and lettuce will become wilted. I don't keep walnut oil on hand so I use olive oil in the dressing and it is just fine. I make this as a main course by adding about 1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries, torn rotisserie chicken that I pick up at the store, and serve it with a baked sweet potato. For the candied pecans, I use the Spicy Mixed Nuts from this site. It's an easy and delicious meal that doesn't keep me in the kitchen after working all day.

My family and I love this recipe with a few simple adjustments. First, we double the amount of salad because the amount of dressing this makes is way too much for just one bag. Or we refrigerate the unused dressing a air tight container. Second, I don't use the red onion. Third, and most importantly, I just use 1/6 cup of apple cider vinegar or the flavor is overwhelming. Oh and baby greens or spring mix are the best mixes for this salad.

I made this salad for a gathering and it was the hit of the meal. Everyone asked for the recipe and on a scale of 1 to 10 said it was an 11. Here are my modifications. I did not candy the pecans. Just roasted at 375 for about 6-8 minutes. I had to switch the cheese to feta for one person, and I think blue cheese would be better, but for those who don't like blue cheese, this is still a great option. I also used light mayo, but did buy roasted walnut oil and pure maple syrup for the dressing. The second time around I don't think pure maple syrup is necessary. And EVOO could be fine as a substitute for the walnut oil, but maybe not quite as good. It makes enough for more than two salads, but I can't wait to eat some tonight with dinner. Really yummy. It may be my new go-to salad recipe!

I looked for this recipe after having something similar at a fancy French dinner party. I made the recipe as is, with the exception of roasting the pear slices in the oven. It's a little extra work, but I think the flavor and "wow" factor are definitely worth it! I thinly sliced the pears, sprayed both sides with olive oil from a can (or you could brush or toss with olive oil), and layed them in a single layer in a 9 X 13 baking dish. Cooked them at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, turned, and cooked for another 5 minutes. Those are the times that worked in my oven, but I would suggest keeping an eye on them. I cooked them until they were tender and just beginning to brown/caramelize. I fanned four pear slices out on top of each salad for a pretty garnish and delicious flavor! This salad is AWESOME. You feel more like you're eating a dessert than a salad. I did have leftover dressing, but it didn't last long. Yum!

great salad didn't change a thing except used pancake syrup instead of real maple and it was just fine on the sweet side but delicious!!!

Yum! So easy and really tasty. The dressing is delicious on any salad. Will make again.

I have made this salad, but used Poppyseed Dressing in a bottle. Found that using 1/2 bottle was just right. For those who don't want to go to the trouble of making their own dressing, this is a quick and delicious option and you can control how much dressing to use. I've also used Bartlett and Anjou pears as well.

Absolutely delicious!!!I used light maple syrup to cut down on the sugar. It was still sweet enough.

This is so good. So simple and will impress everyone you serve it to. I omit the onions because of personal taste. The candied pecans are my favorite part of the salad.

New recipe, but every time I have served it guests have asked for the recipe. Good dressing and it makes enough for additional uses.

Great Salad.. just toasted the pecans in a frypan since I was short of time. I omitted the Brown Sugar. VEry happy I did would have been too sweet otherwise...A KEEPER

I could drink this dressing .... I just poured it over arugula / strawberries / almonds / sunflower seeds / crispy bacon and feta for my lunch and WOW I can hardly wait to go get me some pears and blue cheese ....

Excellent salad! I diced the pear, and had to leave out the cheese to accomodate a special request, and it was still delicious and popular -- the guests all wanted more. I was afraid the dressing would be too sweet, but it was a perfect balance.

This is quite good. The flavors really work well together. People that don't normally like salad ask for seconds of this --even after the main course! The dressing makes a lot though. Can re-use for other salads or cut in half would be plenty.

I don't usually comment on recipes. But this one is so Awesome I had to! I really don't want anything for dinner except this salad. Maybe lunch, too! I didn't add the pear, which I am sure would make it even better. I totally forgot. And I used olive oil because it is what I had. I bought already candied pecans at Trader Joes and chopped them. definitely something I will make many times. Maybe even for Superbowl!! Go HAWKS!!!!!

Delicious! The dressing is to die for - my guests were asking for the recipe. I've had variations of this salad before, but never this good. The onions, in moderation, add a nice flavor to balance out all the sweetness. Yum!

This is my new favorite salad. Yummy!

Delicious! I couldn't find walnut oil but the dressing was still very good even with substituting EVOO for the walnut oil! Plan to make it again today!

I would give this 10 stars if I could! The dressing is absolutely amazing and please do not substitute the walnut oil -it is worth every penny. I will only be making this salad from now on.

Great. My BF loved it and kept making compliments as he was eating. I made some adjustments: used only red lettuce, didn´t add any oil to the dressing, since I thought it was enough with the mayo, mixed the dressing in a glass bottle and served it there so everyone could put the dressing as liked. Now I have enough dressing for another salad. Thanks

I had a very similar salad a few nights ago and it called to make your own caramelized pecans. I did 1 cup of pecans, 1/4 cup of white sugar and 1.5 tbsp of water. You mix it in a pot until it's caramelized. They turned out AMAZING! But I was thinking next time I'd try maybe adding a little brown sugar and cinnamon. You could also try adding some honey that is a little watered down. Anyway, I use pink lady apples instead of pears and gorgonzola instead of blue cheese. Pink ladies are the best type of apple, i use them in salads and sandwiches all the time. they aren't tart like other apples. anyway, great recipe!

I changed the recipe quite a bit, but loved it still. The dressing, for which I used plain yoghurt instead of mayo and grapeseed oil instead of walnut oil, was fabulous. It was a little sweet so I would perhaps cut back (just a little!) the amounts of maple syrup and sugar next time. For the salad I tossed romaine lettuce with red onion, blackberries and bleu cheese crumbles. The berries offered a nice texture contrast that I'm not sure the pears, unless diced, could have. We decided to put this in a bread bowl because we were missing Perkin's discontinued bread bowl salad, and I have to say this was superb that way. The dressing still had a little tang to it on the breadbowl and was great. It was all very quick too, I'd easily recommend this as a last minute dinner.

This dressing is delicious! I got nothing but rave reviews. Goes quite well with the pears and cheese. I used leftovers on salmon over mixed greens and it was amazing. This dressing will be a new favorite at our house. I didn't find it too sweet, though I used walnuts instead of candied pecans. I didn't want to buy walnut oil, so used grapeseed and found it substituted just fine.

This was fantastic! I didn't have candied pecans and couldn't find a recipe for them so I just toasted them in a skillet. I made it for my sister-in-law's birthday dinner and she loved it and asked for the recipe. Both of us have already shared it with others. Definately will make this again and again!

So good! The dressings a lot of work and calls for some weird ingredients but it is worth it!

Fantastic recipe, rave reviews from guests and very easy. I didn't have walnut oil so I used canola oil and it tasted yummy.

When I first read this recipe, I nearly passed on making the salad dressing because I wasn't sure about dressing made with maple syrup. Thankfully I tried it anyway, because by doing so I found what is my favorite salad recipe by a mile! This dressing is out of this world delicious! It does not taste like maple syrup on salad - it is just a wonderful blend of spicy and sweet. I made this salad for 3-4 parties during the Christmas season, and every time this salad was completely devoured and folks were asking me for the recipe. A permanent favorite for me.

Just made this salad and dressing with a few changes. Baked pears for 15 min. at 400 and used provolone (didn't have blue cheese). Made the Candy Coated Pecans from Allrecipes. Made dressing exact except for used olive oil (didn't have walnut oil). Pour dressing in a cruet and it filled it! This is a great salad, can add extra ingredients like croutons, cranberries, etc. I don't really like maple syrup but is a perfect dressing. I had thought about changing it and then decided to make it as exact as I could to give a proper rating. I may try to find walnut oil and roquefort cheese. Just try it as is! Thank you SPERL25!

This salad was incredible! It was the first time I've ever made dressing from scratch and it was one of my favorite dressings ever. I did, however, substitute the maple syrup with honey. I'm very grateful for the reviews with that suggestion because I also believe maple syrup should be for pancakes and nothing else.

I added apple and omitted the pecans. I used olive oil. It was great... My husband said he thought we were in a restaurant...

Great salad!

This salad is delicious! I added extra pecans and cheese for personal taste.

This was just as good as I had hoped it would be. The dressing is enough for double the salad. Don't put it on too soon as it tends to wilt the salad if not served right away. A real keeper!

Well,, I am one off those annoying people that change a recipe all up.. hehe,, but at least I didn't change it all up and then give it a bad rating :) This was WONDERFUL,, the dressing scared me,, it smelled like vinegar,, DON'T worry,, its wonderful,, I didn't change a thing on the dressing,, but in the salad,, I used green apple instead of pears, added sliced strawberries, and halfed huge red grapes, and got REALLY good blue cheese from the market and crumbled it,, SO YUMMY!!!

I took this to a friend's house, it was great!!! Made it just a recipe says, makes alot of dressing. But very good!!

I double everything except the dressing since I had 10 guests to feed--EVERYONE from my 6 year old daughter to the guests from South Africa and Monaco raved and asked for the recipe and for seconds. This salad was a request from my husband for his birthday dinner. I had to make the sugar pecans, and was lucky to have a dribble of maple syrup left! "BEST SALAD EVER!!" said my 16 year old son.

This salad is amazing! It was a hit at Christmas... almost everyone had seconds. I used olive oil instead of walnut. Next time I will cut the dressing recipe in half because it made a LOT.

Absolutely delicious! My husband doesn't like blue cheese so I used our local grocery's brand of "four cheese Italian." (Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Romano) I also didn't have walnut oil and used light olive oil instead. Overall, it still was outstanding! Proof from my very picky eater hubby: "Is there more?" We have plenty of dressing now and I think we just may have this salad again tomorrow night! Thanks for a great recipe. It's going into my regular rotation. :-)

i loved the dressing!

This was a great recipe and quick to make. It is my new staple when I have to go to a potluck. The recipe makes way more dressing that you need, and a little bit goes a long way with this salad. I cut the ingredients in half so I don't end up with too much (but it does keep ok if you do make the full amount). I followed the recipe very closely and it turned out great!!!

This is a wonderful salad. The dressing is top notch. I had almost everyone asking me for the recipe at a party I made this for. I've made it quite a few times now. I do think that using miracle whip light makes a big difference. The one time I used another mayo, it just did not taste right. I've always used the walnut oil as stated in the recipe. You will not be disappointed with this salad. It tastes like your dining in a fancy restaurant!

Since I didn't have walnut oil, I substituted toasted walnuts for the candied pecans. The salad was delicious, and the dressing sweet/tangy.

Excellent recipe. The dressing is outstanding. I served it to my guests for dinner last night along with Baked Almond Chicken over Fettuccine - they loved it and asked for the recipe!

so good and the dressing is to die for

Fantastic big hit with even picky kids.!!

This was a great salad!~ It disappeared quickly! Will make again and again.

4.5 Stars: The dressing seemed unusual, but I like unusual. I think a balsamic vinaigrette or something of that type would be just as good and not have the mayo. I left out the onion, but did candy almonds since that is what I had. That was a first and I really enjoyed the pear and blue cheese.

This salad is wonderful, we loved it! I didn't change this recipe at all, it's perfect as written. This tastes just like a salad served at a local fine restaurant, and we're so happy to have found this recipe. The dressing is delicious as well. I will definitely make this again, thank you for sharing!

Very good, but strong...go light on the onion!

Fantastic salad. Made it for a summer party and have people begging for the recipe. Only change in the recipe that I've done is less red onion, used honey instead of maple syrup, and used olive oil instead of walnut oil. Incredible! Will make again and again and again! Thanks SPERL25!

I usually double the "stuff" that goes on this salad b/c I like a lot of stuff on my lettuce. The dressing is great. Well worth buying walnut oil if you don't already have it. I use the Sugar Coated Pecans recipe from this site for the nuts.

I made this for Easter dinner and everyone LOVED it. The pears are a great pairing with ham and this recipe was a crowd face. I did not use walnut oil but i will next time. EVOO was a good substitute. My family thought it was delicious. I used feta instead of blue cheese because I like a milder cheese. I will make this again.

This salad was delicious. I made it for our Thanksgivings dinner and the bowl was emptied within minutes. It was a big hit at our table.

Terrific combination for a salad. I used arugula instead of field greens because I was serving with grilled beef.

Oh man, was this good! I could totally drink the dressing, lol! I had a feeling that I was gonna LOVE this, and I was right. Made exactly as written, and would not change a thing...EXCELLENT! All of the flavors paired perfectly together. This is going into my salad rotation for sure! Thanks for sharing. :)

Great salad! I used a green onion instead of the red since that what I had. I subsituted nonfat Greek yogurt for the mayo and the dressing was wonderful. I cooked my pecans in a pan, sprinkled some sugar and poured some maple syrup to make the candied pecans. Yum!! Ate this salad two days in a row.

I've made this salad probably 5 times now and everyone I've served it to LOVES it. I don't have walnut oil, so I've only ever made it with almond oil, but it's super delicious!

Instead of using candied peacans I bought sliced almonds and candied them myself with sugar and a little bit of butter and it turned out great!! Eventhough I would like to try it with a balsamic-based dressing. I'll try it and keep you posted.

I made this salad for a Christmas party and everyone wanted to know the recipe. I did make a few changes, some changes were personal preference and some were ingredient substitutes because I couldn't find the right ingredient. I am not crazy about blue cheese so I substituted gorganzola for a slightly less twangy flavor. I also prefer salad dressing over mayonnaise so I substituted Light Miracle Whip. I didn't locate Walnut oil, but I had a high grade cold press olive oil that I used instead. Finally I did not have candied pecans but I had honey roasted peanuts that I used. Since peanuts have a less preferable flavor and texture I used less nuts than called for. I do think that pecans would be better, however the outcome was still wonderful and light. Great recipe! I will definitely try it again.

My sister brought this for Christmas dinner exactly as the recipe states. Even those who don't normally take too many veggies loved it! It went perfect with Prime Rib, although I will make it with whatever and whenever! It does make a lot of dressing. Can cut those ingredients by half probably.

In place of the walnut oil, I used EVOO and went a little heavier with it. Great dressing for this type of salad. The candied pecans I used had some spice to them, and that just added another dimension of flavor. Thanks for the great recipe, SPERL25! Just love these large, healthy salads for lunch or dinner!

Delicious!

I made this recipe for a cook-off between a friend and I, and it was delicious! Everybody loved it and kept asking for the recipe. I had never tried walnut oil before, but it was definitely delicious in this recipe. I just used some pears that I had canned myself for the pears, giving this salad a beautiful personal touch. Blue cheese isn't my favorite, so I used feta instead, a great substitute!

This is what I had as an appetizer in a very pricey restaurant. One thing that I do is poach the pears to soften them in some wine and sugar. Just an alternative...

This salad is SO delicious. It would be wonderful served to company or to make for your family when you're wanting to serve them something special. Don't substitute the walnut oil--it's a MUST ingredient.

This was quite delicious! I left out the onions as i dont like them, and the nuts since i didnt have any on hand.

This salad is perfect just the way it is. The dressing is seriously restaurant quality. I agree it makes more than enough dressing, but I consider that a bonus.

This was amazing, made it exactly as written. Had way too much dressing though for this one salad. But we used it again the next day!

I didn't have red onion, so I omitted that. I also subbed olive oil instead of walnut oil. I didn't have any and didn't want to make a special trip just for one item. WOW, WOW, WOW! I am in love with this salad. Try it and you won't be sorry.

Delicious! This was so tasty my veggie hating husband had seconds. It tastes like a fancy restaurant salad. A keeper!

I've made this salad seven or eight times and taken it to group dinners. Each time, everyone raves about the flavor combinations and elegance of this salad. The first time that I made it, I didn't have walnut oil. When I made it using the walnut oil, it was superb! My family could tell the difference, so now I keep walnut oil in the fridge just for this salad.

I made this recipe a little more easier and did not use a blender to mix ingredients. Just used a dressing shaker container from Tupperware. Delicious and easy to make! Will definitely make again!

This is outstanding! The dressing is so unique, simple, and delicious! All the Flavors go so well together. I was making this the night before for an event the next day and was worried about the pears browning. I soaked them in a mixture of 2T. honey in 1 cup water. They kept perfectly white for over 24 hours! YUM!!

The salad tasted delicious! The only modification I may make is to add more than 10 oz. of lettuce. I may use a bag and a half (i.e., 17 oz.) next time. Other than that, this salad is wonderful!

I was looking for a different salad last night and had just run across this recipe. Had a pear I needed to use up so, voila. OMG, this is so good and the dressing is wonderful. I didn't have walnut oil, so used the same amount of EVOO and it was still excellent. I also used butter lettuce, but I think this recipe is pretty forgiving. Thanks for a great recipe.

Family favorite. We love it. One of the best salads I have ever eaten.

We love it and get asked for the recipe often!

Excellent!!! I used candied pecans (because I cant find candied walnuts anymore at my store) and they were tasty. I also used Gorgonzola instead of Blue Cheese--same thing essentially, but Gorgonzola has a creamier, milder taste. Dont skip the walnut oil; it adds so much to this recipe. My husband LOVED it! A keeper!

Love this salad, with all the goodies. I used the "candy coated pecans" from this website, very good.

I didn't care much for the dressing. I thought it was overly sweet. My husband liked it though. I used the "Candy Coated Pecans" recipe from allrecipes.com for this salad. Those were good! I like the pear-blue cheese combo, but I think I will stick to my usual dijon viniagrette dressing.

We served this at Christmas Dinner and it was a HUGE hit.

This salad is outstanding! I took it to a dinner party and everyone gushed over it. The flavors pair beautifully. Don't deviate from the recipe as it's perfect as written. And by all means, do not sub out the Walnut Oil. It's what makes it. Needless to say, it got more attention than the main course. A definite keeper.

This is fantastic! I made everything as listed; the dressing was just perfect. I brought it to a dinner party and it was the dish everyone commented on. As others said, for this size salad you only need about half the dressing the recipe makes.

AmaZing salad and incredibly easy to make. I made the Microwave Spiced Pecans on this site, which were very easy to make and used canola oil since I didn't have the walnut oil. I served it for company and it was an immediate hit!

This was actually very good! I was afraid the blue cheese would be too strong, but the sweet dressing mellows it out some. I didn't have walnut oil so I used olive oil instead and Miracle Whip instead of plain mayo. Delicious salad. I used salad topping fried onions instead of fresh. Thanks, this was fantastic.

I made the dressing with a tablespoon of Ken's Blue Cheese dressing mixed with the apple cider vinegar and just a teaspoon of maple syrup. Just enough tang with a bit of sweet.I also added some chunks of sharp white cheddar.. Made a nice big dinner salad for one along with chicken schnitzel and baby baked potatoes. Delicious!

Saving this for future use! Wonderful!

One of our favourite salads. The flavours all meld together perfectly. We do not deviate from the recipe. Delicious!

Excellent winter salad. I left out the pecans but added fresh mushrooms.

This is the best salad ever!!! I didn't have walnut oil so I substituted EVOO. It was still DELICIOUS!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe!! Love it!!!

Absolutely fantastic, beautiful balance of flavors!

Absolutely loved this. Had two bowls one after the other. I used scallions in place of red peppers. And didn't have enough maple syrup so I used some honey. Delicious. Would be great with avocados or boiled eggs.

I couldn't find walnut oil, so I used EVOO. It turned out wonderful!!! I also used strawberries instead of pears. Thanks for a great recipe!!

Delicious!

This was so delicious. I did have to make a couple changes due to what I had on hand. I used romaine and baby spinach for my greens. I used regular walnuts instead of candied pecans. I didn't have any walnut oil either so I blended some walnuts into the dressing mixture in step one until they were totally puréed.. I then used white truffle oil in place of walnut oil. My husband was very impressed. Can't wait to try this with the intended ingredients as per directions.

Really good salad. Suggest you toast your own walnuts in a bit of walnut oil until aromatic, take off the stove and mix in some brown sugar while they are hot. Put into a container until you need them.