Roasted Pear Salad

Oh my, fellow foodies, this salad, this salad, where pears play the beautiful bride in a course suited for romance and seduction. It's an unexpectedly elegant winter salad, fresh salad greens topped with roasted pears and grapes steeped in a wine-butter sauce with rounds of warm goat cheese on the side.

Whole Food, Fresh & Inventive. Budget Friendly. Perfect When Cooking for One or Two. Vegetarian But Easily Converted to Vegan and/or Gluten Free. Rave Reviews. So Good!!

~ PIN This ~

~ Skip Straight to the Recipes ~
~ Roasted Pear Salad ~
~ Toasted Goat Cheese ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• "...it was amazing! My girlfriends loved it." ~ Anonymous
• What're you waiting for?!

---

One enchanted evening, you will find your true love …

Take this salad ...

The first bite is all romance, the second is true love, the third, well, prepare for the life-long commitment that roasted pears inspire.

Truth.

The truth is, this is the fanciest salad I make.

Another truth? I don't make it often enough.

Roasted Pear Salad isn't the least bit hard. It's just roasted pears cloaked in a savory-sweet wine sauce and served over salad greens and, for those who truly like to indulge, rounds of warm toasted goat cheese.

So sure, it's an elegant salad worthy of a special occasion, like Valentine's Day or an anniversary celebration at home, say.

But it's also simple enough for less scheduled, less predictable celebrations. A pretty fall evening, the last one warm enough to eat outside. Or the night long-time friends come for dinner. Or, you know, just because it's finally Friday, the work week over.

About This Recipe: Roasted Pear Salad

• This is an elegant winter salad yet it's made with everyday ingredients that plate way more than the sum of their parts. There are several components (the roasted pears and grapes; a savory sauce for the pears; a simple vinaigrette for the salad greens; the salad itself) but good news, all but the final assembly can be done ahead of time. For a real treat, add warm, melty Toasted Goat Cheese Rounds.
• Distinctive Ingredients = Roasted Pears & Grapes + Salad Greens + Toasted Goat Cheese
• Short Ingredient List = both the above + olive oil + good salt + garlic + tomato paste + chicken stock + wine + honey + butter + mustard + salt & pepper + goat cheese + 1 egg white + panko + walnuts
• Kitchen Tools = roasting pan + saucepan + small bowl + skillet + dental floss (!) +
• It takes about 45 minutes of hands-on time over 1-1/4 hours to pull this salad together. Luckily, all but maybe the last 10 minutes can be done ahead of time.
• This is a very dramatic-looking salad, the caramelized pears and grapes atop the beautiful salad greens. It's also a study in texture and temperature contrast, the soft roasted fruit at room temperature, the crisp chilled salad greens, the crispy warm goat cheese.
• As written, the recipe yields enough for four side salads or two main dish salads.
• This recipe works especially well for those Cooking for One or Two.
• So good! I hope you love it!


• Love pears but want something simpler? Try my Easy-Easy Pear Sauce.
• Not quite what you're looking for? Check out my other salad recipes.

---

---

A Menu for Romance

Cheese Puffs
Lazy Man's Ciopinno
with a Warm Baguette and Butter

Roasted Pear Salad
(recipe below)

Chocolate Decadence with
Raspberry-Red Wine Coulis (Reduction Sauce) &
Whipped Cream

---

---

For Best Results

For my weekly column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I interviewed chefs and translated their restaurant recipes for home kitchens. The most illuminating question? "How can a home cook ensure the same results?" So now I ask that question of myself, too, for my own recipes. Have another question? Ask away, I'll do my best to answer!

Roasting the Fruit It may take less time to roast the grapes than the pears. (Evidence? The photo above, where the grapes are definitely over-roasted.) You may want to either roast the two fruits separately or keep them separate on the baking sheet and be prepared to remove just the grapes from the oven sooner.

Pears Are Finicky It takes awhile for pears to ripen, they're one of the few fruits that continue to ripen off the tree. To speed things along, try putting the pears in a paper bag at room temperature. Once they're ripe, if you're not making the salad for another day or two, move them to the fridge to slow down the ripening process. In addition, even pears that are ripe can look pretty on the outside but be soft and brown inside. I'd have a backup plan, apples, maybe, even a can of pear halves. I haven't made the salad with these but do think they'd work fine.

Roast Extra! But do roast extra pears if you can. As simple as simple can be, roasted pears work over ice cream, drizzled with crème anglaise, tucked into morning oatmeal, or simply savored, one small soft spoonful at a time.

Bookmark! PIN! Share!

How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe inspires you, please do save and share! I'd be honored ...

~ PIN This ~

---

ROASTED PEAR SALAD

Hands-on time: 45 minutes
Time to table: 1-1/4 hours
Makes 4 side salads or 2 supper salads

Good news. Except for toasting the goat cheese, everything can be prepped ahead of time.

PEARS & GRAPES
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Pinch of good salt
• 2 fresh, ripe pears
• 1 cup grapes, preferably red but green work too

WINE-BUTTER SAUCE
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, slivered
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 cup dry wine (white or red, sherry and marsala work too)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons cold butter
• Salt to taste

VINAIGRETTE
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 2 tablespoons good vinegar
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste

TOASTED GOAT CHEESE ROUNDS, optional
• Goat cheese, in roll form, chilled
• 1 egg white whisked with 1 teaspoon water
• Panko seasoned with salt & pepper

TO ASSEMBLE
• Salad Greens
• Chopped Green Onions, white and green parts
• Vinaigrette
• Roasted Pears, room temperature
• Sauce, warm
• Roasted Grapes, room temperature
• Toasted Goat Cheese Rounds, warm, optional
• Toasted Walnuts, optional

ROAST THE PEARS & GRAPES Heat oven to 300F/150C. Drizzle oil onto a non-stick baking sheet (or cover a baking sheet with parchment first), sprinkle with salt.

Cut pears in half lengthwise, stem to stern; the stem is too tough to cut through, so cut right alongside it. Remove any bruised spots inside the pears, the ones on the skin are fine. Use a serrated grapefruit spoon or a melon baller to remove the core; a paring knife can help as well.

Arrange the pears face-down on the baking sheet, rubbing their flat sides into the oil and salt. Tuck the grapes in between.

Roast until the pears are soft and the cut sides are caramelized, about 60 minutes; check at 45 minutes, the grapes may soften first, you don't want them to caramelize and you may want to pull these off early. After roasting, gently flip the pear halves so their cut sides are on top, this prevents sticking. The pears and grapes may be roasted a few hours in advance, just bring them to room temperature before assembling the salad.

MAKE THE WINE-BUTTER SAUCE In a medium saucepan, heat the oil on medium heat until shimmery. Add the garlic, let gently simmer until golden.

Stir in the tomato paste, then the stock and wine. Bring to a boil, let the sauce simmer until it reduces by half.

Add the honey, return to a simmer. Add the butter, stir until melted. Let the sauce come back to a simmer and simmer for two to three minutes, thickening slightly.

The sauce may be made a day ahead of time, just reheat before assembling the salad.

MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE In a small bowl, whisk the mustard and vinegar, then whisk in the olive oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.

TOAST THE GOAT CHEESE Slice the goat cheese roll into half-inch thick rounds (one per serving) by wrapping dental floss around the roll to "slice" off a round. Dip each round in the egg white-water mixture, then in the panko mixture.

If needed, chill until ready to toast just before serving. To toast, heat a non-stick skillet on medium high, toast each round until golden and warmed through, about 30 seconds per side. Serve warm.

FINALLY, ASSEMBLE THIS (these) GORGEOUS SALAD(s) Just before serving, in a large bowl, toss the Salad Greens and Green Onions with Vinaigrette, then arrange on individual salad plates or one large communal serving platter.

One at a time, use a slotted spoon to dip a Roasted Pear half into and then out of the warm Sauce, coating the pear completely; move it to a cutting board and slice into the pears, leaving the pear intact at the stem end, then fan the pear half across the Salad Greens.

Drizzle the Pear Halves with additional warm Sauce (or serve on the side).

Arrange the Roasted Grapes across the Salad Greens. Top the salad with Toasted Walnuts and tuck in Toasted Goat Cheese Rounds if using.

ALANNA’s TIPS I’ve had some luck roasting unripe pears but for certainty, use ripe pears. I do find it truly difficult to ripen pears, however. That's the only thing hard about this salad! Too often, once the pears have ripened, their insides have turned brown and you can't use them for this salad. Would apples work? Yes, I think so! During summer, maybe peach or mango or plum or apricot halves? Or fresh figs? If there's juice and oil left on the baking sheet after roasting the pears and grapes, use it instead of olive oil to make the Vinaigrette. If you like, toast the walnuts while the pears roast (either on separate pan or off to the side), just take the walnuts out first once they turn golden and aromatic after 15 to 30 minutes. For something simpler than the Toasted Goat Cheese Rounds, goat cheese or blue cheese crumbles are good substitutes.

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2009/02/roasted-pear-salad.php .

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Side Salad, not including Goat Cheese Rounds or Walnuts: 231 Calories; 10g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 230mg Sodium; 35g Carb; 5g Fiber; 26g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 5 & PointsPlus 6 & SmartPoints 10 & future WW points

---

Seasonal Recipes: Cookin' for Romance

Chocolate Decadence Cake Finnish Fruit Tart All Courses Lavender: An Easy Romantic Dinner Cinnamon Sugar Cookies (Snickerdoodles) Steak & Poblanos Roasted Pear Salad Cut-Out Spice Cookies Rustic Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Carrots Seared Scallops with Garlicky Polenta & Chimichurri Raspberry-Red Wine Coulis (Reduction Sauce) Homemade Chocolate Sauce In-a-Flash Raspberry & Red Wine Granita Chocolate Shortbread Cookies Roasted Applesauce with Raspberries Lemon Pudding Cake with Raspberries Quick 'n' Easy Shrimp Bisque Charcuterie for Two

---

More Salads Worthy of Occasions &
Which Make Meals Occasions

more
~ salad recipes ~

• THE RECIPE Festive Kale Salad with Apple & Pomegranate A burst of color, texture and flavor for holiday meals. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Power Food Broccoli Salad Food for thought.

• THE RECIPE Spinach Salad with Fruity Vinaigrette, Fresh Fruit & Maple-Glazed Pecans A big green salad with a rainbow of fruit. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing The traditional spinach salad with bacon, hard-cooked eggs, mushrooms.

• THE RECIPE Celebration Salad (Maple-Roasted Carrots with Arugula, Dill, Cranberry Vinaigrette, Pomegranate and Glazed Pecans) An exultant platter of texture, color, flavor and mood.
• ANOTHER TAKE Egyptian Kamut Salad with Roasted Carrot & Pomegranate

---

Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ pear recipes ~
~ grape recipes ~
~ honey recipes ~
~ goat cheese recipes ~
~ what is panko? ~
~ lettuce recipes ~
~ walnut recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

---

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

---

© Copyright Kitchen Parade
2009, 2017 & 2024 (repub)