I was never a salad eater until I discovered the joy of matching salad greens with fruit. Now, whenever I spot a salad recipe with fruit in it, I pounce on it.
This particular recipe – Warm Roasted Pear, Fennel & Blue Cheese Salad – is from New Zealand’s Food magazine (Jun/Jul 201, Issue 71) and looked absolutely tantalising. I couldn’t wait to try it out.
Pears and blue cheese are truly a match made in heaven. Fennel bulb was a first for me, and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it, but I really loved it – the texture is a little like celery, and it has a surprisingly subtle licorice taste to it – a nice compliment to the rest of the salad. I’m totally sold.

WARM ROASTED PEAR, FENNEL & BLUE CHEESE SALAD
Ingredients
For the salad
- ¼ cup runny honey
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 small ripe but firm pears, cored and quartered
- 1 medium fennel bulb, sliced
- Salad greens of your choice
- 80 g creamy blue cheese
- Optional: Chopped walnuts
For the salad dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp runny honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F) and line a roasting tray with baking paper.
- Mix the honey, olive oil and seasoning in a bowl and toss with the pears and fennel to coat them evenly.
- Arrange the pears and fennel on the prepared tray in a single layer and roast them in the oven for 12-15 minutes, tossing them once, until the pears are softened and glazed. Set the pears aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- Arrange the salad greens on a serving platter and top with the roasted pears and fennel. Dot the salad with slices of blue cheese.
- Whisk the oil, lemon juice and extra honey together and season to taste. Spoon the dressing over the salad just before serving.
Nutrition
3 responses
Wow, this looks really nice, it seems easy to do and really yummy, a great summer recipe !!! 🙂
Yeah, I originally found it in a Christmas issue magazine (which is our summer), but here I am trying it out in the middle of winter!
I think this salad is perfect every season! 🙂
Best wishes,
Alice
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