Pear, Roasted Onion and Bleu Cheese is a spectacular combination of flavors. The sweet pears, funky bleu cheese and caramelized onions come together in this salad to produce an amazing taste bomb. The Candied Pecans add a sweet crunch to all the other components. You can arrange the various elements on a platter for a buffet or make individual servings for an appetizer. I enjoy playing with the colors of the pears and the lettuces; so I’ve recommended the colors I’ve used in the picture. As long as you achieve a color contrast, any combination works well. This Pear, Roasted Onion and Bleu Cheese Salad will quickly become a favorite.
By the way – For those who don’t love the aroma or flavor of Bleu Cheese, use Feta as a substitute. The saltiness and texture of both cheeses are similar.
Note: You can use frozen pearl onions for this recipe. They will be less firm than fresh ones but still delicious.
Pear, Roasted Onion & Bleu Cheese Salad with Candied Pecans
By Published: February 6, 2014
- Cuisine: Mediterrarean
- Course: Salad
- Skill Level: Moderate
Yield:
- 4 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Cippoline Onions, Pearl Onions or a combination of both
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Candied Mammoth Pecan Halves
- 1/2 Cup Bleu Cheese/Feta crumbled
- 4 ripe Bosc Pears (2 red & 2 green)
- Curly Lettuce: Frisee/Red & Green Lettuces
- 1 Large Lemon
Equipment
- Jelly Roll Pan Lined with Parchment
- Apple Corer
- Serving Platter
Directions
- Preheat oven to: 400˚ F.
- Cover the fresh onions with boiling water and let them soak about two minutes. Drain onions and peel them. Place onions back in bowl and dribble a little olive oil over them. Toss well so that they are coated on all sides. Place onions on parchment paper and slide into oven. Roast about 15 minutes and then turn them over to roast on the other side. They will turn brown as the sugar in them caramelizes. Let onions cool before adding them to salad.
- To use frozen onions: defrost onions completely and pat dry. Follow directions for fresh onions. Check the oven often to be sure they don't burn.
- Wash and dry lettuce. Arrange lettuce leaves attractively around serving platter.
- Wipe off pears and remove any labels. Remove the core from the bottom of the pears with an apple corer. Slice pears 1/8th inch thick. Arrange red and green pears in an alternating pattern against the lettuce. I put a slice of green pear against a red leaf and so on.
- Place onions around the platter so that each pear has an onion near it. Sprinkle Bleu/Feta cheese over all. Arrange candied pecans on top.
- Dribble a little olive oil over the top of the salad.
- Squeeze and strain the lemon and pour the juice over the salad. Serve at room temperature.
