Almond-Chicken Pear SaladThis salad carries big flavor with diced pieces that bring just the right amount of crunch. Also works well as sandwich filling.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 medium chicken breasts, grilled and cut in ½-inch cubes
- ½ cup green pepper, sliced lengthwise
- ¼ cup diced celery
- ¼ teaspoon seasoning salt
- ½ cup low-fat plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon prepared mustard
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 fresh Comice, Anjou, or Bosc USA Pears, cored and cut in 1-inch cubes
- 1 head butter lettuce
- 2 tablespoons toasted, slivered almonds
ibb Lettuce Salad with Gorgonzola and Fresh Pear DressingFresh pears are the star of this salad, a favorite menu item from the Heartline Café in Sedona, Arizona. In this creative showcase, aromatic Bartlett pears are pureed into a sweet-tart dressing as well as tossed in with crunchy Bibb lettuce. Crumbled Gorgonzola adds a savory flavor that is the perfect complement to sweet pears.
Ingredients
Pour pear and liquid into a blender and blend until smooth. Add part of the vinegar and lemon juice to taste. Taste and adjust sugar and acid to make a sweet-tart dressing, adding a little water if needed to thin. Refrigerate until cold.
Core and thinly slice remaining 2 pears. For each serving, arrange 3-4 lettuce leaves on a salad plate. Top with ⅓ of a sliced pear, 2-3 tablespoons Gorgonzola, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons dressing. Serve immediately.
prep time: 25 minutes
yield: Serves 6
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe Bartlett USA Pears, divided use
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon fresh tarragon or scant ¼ teaspoon dried
- 1-2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 2-3 heads Bibb lettuce, rinsed and dried
- 4 ounces (1 cup) crumbed Gorgonzola or blue cheese
Pour pear and liquid into a blender and blend until smooth. Add part of the vinegar and lemon juice to taste. Taste and adjust sugar and acid to make a sweet-tart dressing, adding a little water if needed to thin. Refrigerate until cold.
Core and thinly slice remaining 2 pears. For each serving, arrange 3-4 lettuce leaves on a salad plate. Top with ⅓ of a sliced pear, 2-3 tablespoons Gorgonzola, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons dressing. Serve immediately.
prep time: 25 minutes
yield: Serves 6
Avocado, Shrimp, and Pear SaladServe this salad alongside a summer spread or use as a taco filling. It’s a cool, refreshing dish perfect for a sunny afternoon.
Ingredients
yield: Serves 4
preparation time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup Bartlett USA Pears, cored and diced
- 1 cup avocado, diced
- 1 cup fresh salad shrimp
- ¼ cup diced white onion
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt to taste
yield: Serves 4
preparation time: 10 minutes
Blueberry and Pear Waldorf SaladThis fresh take on the classic Waldorf salad will have your taste buds singing! The blueberry dressing adds a unique sweetness and spice, not to mention gorgeous color. Find more great recipes and serving ideas atoregonblueberry.com!
Ingredients
In a bowl, toss spinach with pear slices, celery, pecans and remaining ½ cup blueberries. Arrange equally on four serving plates.
Just before serving, blend dressing again until smooth; drizzle over the salads. Serve immediately.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries, divided
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups (about 4 ounces) baby spinach
- 1 pear, cored and thinly sliced
- 2 ribs celery, cut into 1-½-inch matchsticks (about 1 cup)
- ⅓ cup pecan or walnut halves, toasted
In a bowl, toss spinach with pear slices, celery, pecans and remaining ½ cup blueberries. Arrange equally on four serving plates.
Just before serving, blend dressing again until smooth; drizzle over the salads. Serve immediately.
Bosc and Cabbage SaladBosc pears and cabbage are sparked by a simple lemon dressing.
Ingredients
yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups finely shredded green cabbage or savoy cabbage
- ½ cup finely shredded carrot
- ½ cup thinly julienne green pepper
- ½ cup thinly julienne red or yellow pepper
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced onion
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 Bosc USA Pears, divided
yield: Makes 4 servings
Endive Salad with Roasted Pears
“This is my signature salad, featured at my Dish D’Lish Cafes. It includes yummy roasted pears—the perfect foil to the blue cheese and tangy cranberry vinaigrette,” says featured Pear Panache chef Kathy Casey.
Ingredients
2 unpeeled ripe but firm USA Pears
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 head baby frisée
2 heads Belgian endive
1 small head radicchio, sliced (about 2 cups)
4 cups baby arugula
Dish D’Lish Cranberry Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
⅓ cup dried cranberries
½ cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and coarsely chopped
Directions
To roast the pears, preheat an oven to 500 degrees. Cut the pears into eighths lengthwise. Core, then cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, then gently toss the pears in the mixture. Spread the pears on a rimmed baking sheet lightly sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray and roast for 7 to 10 minutes, or until lightly caramelized.
You can make the pears up to one day in advance. If you do, cool them thoroughly before refrigerating, then bring to room temperature about an hour before serving.
To finish the salad, cut the root end and about 1 inch of the top off the frisée. Rinse the frisée thoroughly, separate the head into leaves, and spin dry. Cut the stem ends off the endive, halve the heads lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into thin strips.
Toss the frisée and endive in a large, deep bowl with the remaining greens and about ½ cup of the vinaigrette.
Divide the greens among large dinner plates. Top each salad with pears, cheese, cranberries, and hazelnuts, dividing evenly. Pass additional dressing.
Chef’s Note: If you are having a big dinner party during the holidays, the entire recipe can easily be doubled. And, if you are tight on time, you can substitute sliced fresh pears for the roasted pears.
yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Dish D’Lish Cranberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
⅔ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
¼ cup sugar
½ cup white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup orange juice
¾ cup vegetable oil or very light olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
DirectionsCombine the cranberries, sugar, and vinegar in a small nonreactive saucepan and cook over medium heat until the cranberries pop, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Purée the mixture in a blender, then blend in the mustard and orange juice. With the machine running, gradually drizzle in the oil. The dressing should become smooth and emulsified. Blend in the salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.
yield: Makes 1 ½ cups
From Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table, Chronicle Books
“This is my signature salad, featured at my Dish D’Lish Cafes. It includes yummy roasted pears—the perfect foil to the blue cheese and tangy cranberry vinaigrette,” says featured Pear Panache chef Kathy Casey.
Ingredients
2 unpeeled ripe but firm USA Pears
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 head baby frisée
2 heads Belgian endive
1 small head radicchio, sliced (about 2 cups)
4 cups baby arugula
Dish D’Lish Cranberry Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
⅓ cup dried cranberries
½ cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and coarsely chopped
Directions
To roast the pears, preheat an oven to 500 degrees. Cut the pears into eighths lengthwise. Core, then cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, then gently toss the pears in the mixture. Spread the pears on a rimmed baking sheet lightly sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray and roast for 7 to 10 minutes, or until lightly caramelized.
You can make the pears up to one day in advance. If you do, cool them thoroughly before refrigerating, then bring to room temperature about an hour before serving.
To finish the salad, cut the root end and about 1 inch of the top off the frisée. Rinse the frisée thoroughly, separate the head into leaves, and spin dry. Cut the stem ends off the endive, halve the heads lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into thin strips.
Toss the frisée and endive in a large, deep bowl with the remaining greens and about ½ cup of the vinaigrette.
Divide the greens among large dinner plates. Top each salad with pears, cheese, cranberries, and hazelnuts, dividing evenly. Pass additional dressing.
Chef’s Note: If you are having a big dinner party during the holidays, the entire recipe can easily be doubled. And, if you are tight on time, you can substitute sliced fresh pears for the roasted pears.
yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Dish D’Lish Cranberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
⅔ cup fresh or frozen cranberries
¼ cup sugar
½ cup white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup orange juice
¾ cup vegetable oil or very light olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
DirectionsCombine the cranberries, sugar, and vinegar in a small nonreactive saucepan and cook over medium heat until the cranberries pop, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Purée the mixture in a blender, then blend in the mustard and orange juice. With the machine running, gradually drizzle in the oil. The dressing should become smooth and emulsified. Blend in the salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.
yield: Makes 1 ½ cups
From Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table, Chronicle Books
Chicken and Red Bartlett SaladRed Bartlett pears steal the attention in this delicious chicken salad. Their brilliant red color combines visual appeal with flavor...doubly delicious!
Ingredients
For dressing: Combine all ingredients and mix well.
yield: Makes about ⅓ cup
Ingredients
- Salad
- 2 firm Red or Yellow Bartlett USA Pears, cored and sliced
- 2 cups chopped Napa cabbage
- 1 cup diced cooked chicken
- ½ cup sliced radishes
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
- Vinaigrette Dressing
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- ½ teaspoon crushed thyme
For dressing: Combine all ingredients and mix well.
yield: Makes about ⅓ cup
Grilled Steak, Pepper, and Pear SaladGrill whole bell peppers along with steak, then add Bartlett pear slices, and you have the foundations of a delicious and colorful Italian-influenced salad.
Ingredients
Slice peppers into strips, discarding seeds and stem. Cut sirloin across the grain into thin slices. Slice pears into thin wedges. Toss arugula and pasta in large bowl. To serve, evenly divide pasta and arugula on four plates, arrange beef, peppers and pears on top, drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.
preparation time: 30 minutes
yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons distilled vinegar
- ¼ cup white grape juice or apple juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tablespoon Italian herb blend, like Mrs. Dash
- Salad
- 2 cups (4 ounces) whole wheat rotini pasta, uncooked
- 1 LE JAUNE ROYALE® brand yellow bell pepper
- 1 LE ROUGE ROYALE® brand red bell pepper
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
- 12 ounces boneless choice beef top sirloin
- 2 Bartlett USA Pears
- 3 cups arugula
- ¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
Slice peppers into strips, discarding seeds and stem. Cut sirloin across the grain into thin slices. Slice pears into thin wedges. Toss arugula and pasta in large bowl. To serve, evenly divide pasta and arugula on four plates, arrange beef, peppers and pears on top, drizzle with vinaigrette and sprinkle with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.
preparation time: 30 minutes
yield: Serves 4