Fall Harvest Salad Recipe: Easy Pear and Walnut Salad
Ripe pears and crisp apple over mixed greens with toasted walnuts and crumbled blue cheese, finished with an apple cider vinegar dressing sharpened with fresh orange juice and a pinch of cayenne. It comes together in about twenty minutes with nothing but a skillet and a whisk, and it looks like a centerpiece on a platter.
Servings: 6
Calories: 330kcal
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 6 cups mixed greens such as arugula, spinach and baby kale about 5 oz / 140 g
- 2 to 3 ripe pears about 1 lb / 450 g, thinly sliced
- 1 crisp apple thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup walnuts 50 g, toasted
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese 2 oz / 60 g
- pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries optional
- roasted sweet potato or butternut squash optional
For the apple cider vinegar dressing:
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 60 ml
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 30 ml
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 15 ml
- 1 tablespoon honey 15 ml
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 120 ml
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest optional
Instructions
- Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant. Tip onto a plate and cool completely.
- Whisk together the orange juice, apple cider vinegar, Dijon, honey and cayenne in a small bowl.
- Add the olive oil in a slow stream, whisking continuously, until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Season with salt and pepper and adjust to taste.
- Slice the pears and apple thinly, lengthwise. If not serving straight away, dip the slices in equal parts lemon juice and water.
- Pile the greens onto a large platter. Layer the pear and apple over the top, then scatter on the cooled walnuts and blue cheese.
- Drizzle with the dressing and toss gently, or serve the dressing alongside.