Pear and blue cheese salad

We/I love love love this salad. There is nothing that says fall quite like this delicious sweet and salty pear salad. You can always take it up a notch and use high-end blue cheese and olive oil.

Ingredients salad

• 1 bag of mixed greens
• 1 pear thinly sliced with the peel on
• ½ cup of blue cheese
• ¼ cup candied walnuts
• 2 endives
• ½ fennel
• ½ lemon juiced

Dressing ingredients

• 1/2 of a pear
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup champagne vinegar
• ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
• salt and fresh cracked pepper

Directions

1. Peel and small dice the pear (remove the seeds) and set into a blender.
2. Add the champagne vinegar and blend into a semi-smooth paste.
3. Let stand for an hour.
4. Next, add the mustard to the pear and vinegar infusion.
5. Slowly drizzle the oil into the pear vinegar until the mixture is emulsified and season with salt and pepper.
6. Set aside.
7. Wash the endive and remove the outer leaves.
8. Then cut the bottom about ¼ of an inch from the bottom.
9. Next, toss them into a large mixing bowl. Next, wash and dry the fennel.
10. Remove any bad exterior pieces and cut a bit of the bottom off to remove the brown part.
11. Next, use a mandolin to thinly slice the fennel and add it to the bowl with the endive.
12. Add the fennel to the mixing bowl as well as the pear and blue cheese.
13. Mix the salad well, season it with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
14. Once everything is tossed together well top the salad with the candied walnuts on either the bowl if serving it family style or on the plates if serving it individually.

Chef Tip – It is great to pull out the pear, walnuts and fennel and add them to the top for presentation.