Pear Walnut Salad with Hot Honey Mustard Dressing

Chase away your winter salad blues with this Pear Walnut Salad. The Hot Honey Mustard Dressing adds a twist to the classic. And we haven't even mentioned the candied walnuts and blue cheese yet.

Spicy and fruity, from crunchy bits of dried fruit and then the richness of the blue cheese make you sit up and pay attention to this salad.

I served it first with Dijon Air Fryer Salmon and it was delicious.

It would go equally well with Ginger Crusted Roast Pork with Maple Mustard Sauce.

Wine Pairing for Pear Walnut Salad

Mustard can be tricky to pair with wine, especially if it is the main flavour of the dish. Wineries and chefs have devoted whole tasting experiences to the task. Their pick was Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

This is a rich salad with the blue cheese and nuts. I think a Riesling would pair nicely. Or an Orvieto or white Grenache would also be good.

Any fruity low tannin red would be in order as well. Too much tannin risks a bitter clashing so think Beaujolais, Grenache or GSM blend, Barbera or Valpolicella.

Pear Walnut Salad with Hot Honey Mustard Dressing

Sweet, spicy, crunchy and rich.

Author: Carolyn Hetke

If you tried this, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know it went in the 📝 comments below!

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 cups spinach or other sturdy greens. See Notes.
• ▢ ¼ cup dried cranberries or dried blueberries
• ▢ ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles
• ▢ ¼ red onion sliced very thinly and quartered
• ▢ 2 pears peeled, cored and diced
• ▢ 1 cup Candied Walnuts see Notes for toasted walnut instructions
• ▢ ⅓ cup Hot Honey Mustard Dressing See Notes for substitutes.

Instructions

• Rinse spinach well. Trim stems and tear spinach to desired size.
• Toss spinach, cranberry, cheese, onion and pears in a bowl.
• Add dressing and toss to coat. Add candied walnuts last so they don't get soggy.

Notes

Note 1:  You can substitute 4 cups of any sturdy greens. Arugula or a baby spinach mix would work well here as well.

Note 2:  You can substitute 1 cup of toasted walnuts for the candied nuts.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Roast nuts in a single layer about 8 mintes.  If you can smell them they are done.

Note 3:  You could substitute a commercial Honey Mustard dressing for the Hot Hone Mustard dressing. A French Dijon vinagrette could also work.

Nutrition

Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 305mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 2900IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 2mg

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