This post has been sponsored by Diamond Nuts. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
You won’t believe how easy and delicious this Warm Caramelized Pear Gorgonzola Salad is to make. With just a handful of ingredients, like baby kale and warm sherry vinegar dressing, this fancy-enough-for-company dish makes a great start to a meal. I use Diamond of California’s Nut Toppings for a spectacular garnish. Their Glazed Walnuts are the best part of this pear salad and add amazing sweetness and crunch to the dish.
How To Save On Warm Caramelized Pear Gorgonzola Salad with Glazed Walnuts
Who doesn’t like to save a little money and earn rewards when you’re doing what you normally do—like, say, grocery shopping? With Winn Dixie and Southeastern Grocers, I even save and earn when I’m snacking on my favorite Diamond Nuts—liketheir Original Glazed Walnuts.
On this trip to Winn Dixie, I lucked out and got an instant discount of .50 cents off the Glazed Walnuts (should have bought two bags) as well as the other ingredients I used in this caramelized pear gorgonzola salad. You can also get similar deals at other participating Southeastern Grocers like Bi-Lo, Fresco y Más, and Harvey’s Supermarket.
Admittedly, my favorite part of any salad are the crunchy tidbits and add-ons that make it really special. When it comes to Diamond Nuts Nut Toppings, I can’t help snacking on those crunchy, sweet, and savory morsels while I’m assembling the dish. I’m betting you won’t have that willpower either. They’re too irresistible. A handful for me, a handful for the pear salad…
Speaking of the pear and gorgonzola salad, you’re gonna want to start with the pears.
Preparing The Pears For Pear Gorgonzola Salad
- Use firm but ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears for this recipe.
- Peel the pears with a vegetable peeler and slice the pears into quarters.
- Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out the seed pocket.
- If you can, try and keep the stem attached to the pears for presentation.
How To Make Caramelized Pears
- Melt the butter in a heavy skillet and sauté the pears on one side for a few minutes until they start to soften and take on some color.
- Flip the pears and continue cooking.
- Add the sliced shallots, gently stirring until the shallots become tender and translucent.
- Add the honey and flip the fruit and shallots around in the pan to coat.
- Transfer the pears to a plate to keep warm, and then continue with the shallots and honey glaze to make the dressing.
The standout to this simple pear and gorgonzola salad is the warm sherry vinegar and dijon spiked dressing. The key to the dressing is using the same pan and residual fond from the caramelized pears to whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Ingredients For Warm Caramelized Pear Dressing
To the shallot and honey mixture that you cooked the pears in, add:
- Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
- Sherry Wine Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Parsley
- Salt & Pepper
Arrange the warm caramelized pears on a bed of baby kale and dress with the warm honey, shallot, and dijon dressing. Finish the pear salad with tangy, salty gorgonzola cheese and a handful of Diamond of California Original Glazed Walnuts.
These glazed walnuts have just the right crunch to offset the meltingly tender fruit. They also add a sweet contrast to the crumbly piquant gorgonzola cheese. This pear salad is a simple one, but with so many textures, flavors AND temperatures—you won’t stop until your plate is cleaned.
More Delicious Fall Salads:
- Farro Pomegranate Kale Salad
- Quinoa Chicken Harvest Salad
- Crunchy Cabbage and Kale Salad
- Brussel Apple Fennel Slaw
- Pear Pomegranate Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing
- Shaved Raw Brussels Sprouts Cranberry and Quinoa Salad
Head over to your local Southeastern Grocers to stock up on everything you’ll need for this amazing Pear Gorgonzola Salad and pick up an extra bag of Diamond Glazed Walnuts because, trust me, you’re gonna want ’em.
Warm Caramelized Pear Gorgonzola Salad with Glazed Walnuts
ingredients
- 2 D'Angjou or Bartlett pears
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large shallot peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons whole grain dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
- 6 ounces baby kale
- 2 ounces gorgonzola cheese crumbled
- 1/2 cup Diamond of California Nut Toppings Original Glazed Walnuts
instructions
- Peel the pears and slice them into quarters. Use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds. Set aside.
- In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the pears and cook without touching for 2-3 minutes. Turn the pears to another side and add the shallots. Continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes and flip the pears to the last side. Add the honey and kosher salt, and simmer for an additional 2 minutes—drizzling the pears with the honey butter mixture as it simmers, becomes slightly golden and caramelized, and shallots are soft and translucent. Remove the pears from the pan and set aside.
- Add the dijon mustard, black pepper, sherry wine vinegar, olive oil and chopped parsley to the honey-shallot mixture and whisk to combine.
- Arrange the kale leaves on individual plates and top each with 2 caramelized pears. Divide the gorgonzola and Diamond Nuts Glazed Walnuts between each of the plates. Drizzle with the honey-shallot dressing. Serve.
Nutrition
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I never post. NEVER. But, I made this today for guest and EVERYONE was enamored. The flavors are so fabulous.
Amazing. You will not go wrong serving this.
The pears, the glazed walnuts, the blue cheese, everything in this dish sounds so perfect! Gotta try those walnuts for sure.
Oooh pear and walnuts were made for each other! I love walnuts in salad, but don’t always just toss them without candying them, etc. These Diamond glazed ones would be perfect for me!
I absolutely love gorgonzola salads with fruit and bitter greens! It’s like one of my favorite things in life. There’s so many awesome flavors here!! And I love that you cooked the pears in butter– YUM!!! I need to try this, and also buy some of those glazed walnuts to go on my salads. Glazed nuts make salads so much more satisfying (and Diamond nuts are so yummy and easy to find!!!)
I couldn’t agree more Sarah!
Thos caramelized pears!!! They pair so well with the candied walnuts and take the whole salad to another level!
Yesss! I absolutely LOVE Diamond’s glazed nuts. They’re amazing on salads—especially fall salads. They go so well with the juicy pears and funky gorgonzola. Making the perfect salad is a balancing act and this one hits all the right notes.
What a delicious sounding salad. Elegant enough for entertaining with guests. The perfect start to a meal. I could for sure make this the main event.
I love everything about this salad. It’s sweet, savory, and crunchy, I can’t wait to use your tip on using a melon baller to remove the core of the pears too. I buy Emerald nuts for delicious salads like this and keep them in my desk at work for that afternoon snack attack. A handful keeps me perfectly happy until dinner.
Those nuts are pretty addictive — ideal for a snack attack.
I am positively drooling looking at the photos of this salad. I think pear and gorgonzola were made for each other and I love using them in salad come fall, but I have always glazed my own walnuts. I am going to keep an eye out for these Diamond glazed walnuts because that sounds like such a great timesaver!
I love pear in salads! Love that they are caramelized, I’ve never tried that! And I had no idea Diamond made glazed nuts, I definitely need to look more closely at the options next time I’m at the store!
Wow this salad looks amazing. Pefect for lunch, brunch and dinner too. The pears look amazing, and I can just imagine how delcious they would taste.
I know what I will be having for lunch today! What a perfectly light, but flavorful salad!
Oh my goodness, the caramelized pears with the punch of the Gorgonzola and the sweet, nutty flavor of the Diamond Glazed Walnuts just sounds so divine. I can’t wait to make this.
Thanks, Andrea! Let me know how you like it!
Diamond Glazed Walnuts make the perfect addition to this salad! Added crunch is always good in a salad!
Wow! Pears, gorgonzola, AND Diamond glazed walnuts combined with the fact that everything you touch turns to gold. This is a winning combo!! Thanks for sharing another winner!
Traci, you are too kind!
This is such a delicious salad! I love the caramelized pears and the glazed walnuts add a lovely crunch! Thanks for sharing! I will certainly make it again!
Thanks so much, Beth! Glad you enjoyed it.