This salad combines the peppery bite of arugula with the sweetness of juicy pears and the earthy crunch of walnuts. If you can't find Bosc pears, Anjou or Starkrimson are also good choices for salads.
We really liked the salad, nice and light, great blend of flavors. I usually don't like foods with pears because they are so mild they get lost, but not in this salad. Definite regular recipe for our house.
This is a great easy salad. The arugula walnut and pears are a perfect complement to the delicate yet flavorful dressing.
Very light and tasty salad! I used light olive oil the first time I made it, then extra virgin as per the recipe the second time; my husband and I liked the light version better! Also, not being too pear savvy, I used Barlette pears; I will try Bosc next time if I can find them. Sprinkled a little goat cheese on it before serving. I actually made the dressing for the full recipe but only used half the amounts of pear and arugula, and it worked well for us.
I've made this a few times and always come back to it since it's so good. You can use firm apples instead of pears, and I've made it with baby mixed lettuces also. I've served it at parties and it was gobbled up. Sometimes I use pear vinegar instead of white wine vinegar.
I go back to this salad over and over again. It is a favorite in my home.
This salad is so fresh! I dump the arugula, pears, and walnuts in a big salad bowl, mix with about half the dressing, and save the rest for another salad. Try this if you think the dressing is too oily.
With such a simple salad everything has to be the best to shine. Made to recipe proportions two ways. One all arugula & one with baby mixed greens for arugula-haters. Also made dressing two ways, one all olive oil for the arugula & one half olive/half walnut oil for the greens. Both versions were lovely. Served with CL's roasted beef tenderloin with merlot shallot sauce & CL's risotto with porcini. Recommend serving this salad after these kinds of "mains," rather than as first course.
I wish I had read the reviews first. It was a bit oily. I will cut down to 1 tbsp next time. Very easy to make and great taste.
The dressing is too oily.
Unbelievably good - the taste was light and refreshing! I made it for a dinner party with Arugula as it calls for but used toasted sunflower seeds and topped with Blue Cheese. Everyone loved it. I served this with Sesame Crusted Tuna - good compliment. This is now one of my FAVORITES.
Outstanding salad - the dressing was light and super easy. I substituted baby spinach for the arugula and I also topped the salad with some gorgonzola cheese. My family loved this recipe and I see myself making it many more times!
