Poached Pear Salad with Goat Cheese

Pears, poached in red wine and cinnamon, add a festive touch to this Poached Pear Salad topped with goat cheese, pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds.  Pears, poached in red wine and cinnamon, add a festive touch to a Poached Pear Salad topped with goat cheese, pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds.

I am a serious pear lover—and consider them one of our more underrated fruits. Plentiful and affordable, they are good fresh, and also super in recipes from sweet to savory. 

I even use them instead of apples in my Broccoli Waldorf Salad.

Pears, poached in red wine and cinnamon, add a festive touch to a Poached Pear Salad topped with goat cheese, pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds.

From above

Now for some reason pears make me think of the holidays. Perhaps because they’re one of our last local fruits as we go into a season of beautiful eating.  And this salad fits right in with the wine and cinnamon flavor!

Pears, poached in red wine and cinnamon, add a festive touch to a Poached Pear Salad topped with goat cheese, pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds.

Served!

Of course, let’s not forget nutrition.  How many dishes give you both a serving of vegetables and of fruit!  Especially important when life is busy.  (Though isn’t that always!) Pears, poached in red wine and cinnamon, add a festive touch to a Poached Pear Salad topped with goat cheese, pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds.

My other tribute to the holidays comes from the addition of pomegranate seeds and pistachio nuts. I’ll take red and green accents any way I can get them. And of course, creamy goat cheese is a perfect compliment to the crunchy salad!

Ready in a little over 20 minutes, this Poached Pear Salad makes festive easy!  Pears, poached in red wine and cinnamon, add a festive touch to a Poached Pear Salad topped with goat cheese, pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds.

Pears, poached in red wine and cinnamon, add a festive touch to a Poached Pear Salad topped with goat cheese, pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds.

Poached Pear Salad

Pears, poached in red wine and cinnamon, add a festive touch to a salad topped with goat cheese, pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds.
Author: Inger
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Course Salad
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

Poaching liquid

  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Salad

  • 2 pears slightly underripe if possible
  • 3 cups mixed greens or other lettuce
  • 2 ounces fresh chevre goat cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons pistachio nuts
  • ¼ cup pomegranate seeds

Dressing

  • 1 Tablespoon poaching liquid
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt pepper or to taste

Instructions
 

  • Mix poaching liquid in a small to medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.
  • Peel pears and cut in half. Remove seeds with a small rounded measuring spoon, leaving stem intact.
  • Gently place pears in poaching liquid, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Turn every 5 minutes to ensure even color, until pears are colorful, but firm tender. Remove pears with slotted spoon. (Pears can be served hot or cold.)
  • Place 11/2 cup of greens on a salad plate then top with two pear halves, half of the goat cheese, pomegranate seeds and nuts.
  • Whisk together dressing ingredients. Drizzle salad with the dressing and serve.
  • Garnish with sage or other fresh herbs if desired.

Notes

The remaining poaching liquid can be warmed 50/50 with additional red wine for a nice mulled wine beverage.
I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

National Pear Day

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9 thoughts on “Poached Pear Salad with Goat Cheese

  1. David Scott Allen

    What a perfect salad for the season – very festive, and I know from the ingredients it’s very tasty. We have a couple of pears in the kitchen now, so perhaps Mark will post them for me.

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