Pear and Radicchio Salad With Blue Cheese

Updated Dec. 8, 2025

Pear and Radicchio Salad With Blue Cheese
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
15 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(163)
Comments
Read comments

This is the quintessential salad for autumn and winter, stunningly colorful. For the best-tasting result, look for pears that are ripe but still firm. But if soft pears are all you have on hand — or can find, substitute crisp apples. The crunch here is key.

Featured in: A Winter Dinner Menu That Brings the Sunshine

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement


Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1shallot, finely diced
  • 2tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3tablespoons walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil 
  • 1small head radicchio, leaves separated and torn into wide strips if desired
  • 3 or 4pears, such as red Bartlet or Comice, ripe but firm, peeled if desired 
  • ¼cup pomegranate seeds (from about ½ pomegranate)
  • 4ounces blue cheese, such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola or Stilton 
  • 1teaspoon mild honey, for drizzling (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

218 calories; 13 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 404 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the vinaigrette: Put shallot and vinegar in a small bowl and let soften for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk in oil. Taste and adjust.

  2. Step 2

    Put radicchio leaves in a low-sided salad bowl and the pear slices in a small bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Sprinkle radicchio very lightly with salt. Add about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and toss. Use remaining vinaigrette to dress pears. Arrange pear slices over the radicchio, and scatter the pomegranate seeds on top.

  4. Step 4

    Thinly slice the cheese, and arrange on top. If desired, drizzle with honey.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
163 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

This is an outstanding salad. Didn't have pomegranate seeds so we added chopped toasted walnuts and a drizzle of honey. Cannot wait to make it again.

Ugh, I love David Tanis. No trends, no gimmicks, just really good food. A lovely salad

This sounds fantastic, love all three of the ingredients for salads. I'd add pistachios, sunflower seeds or pepitas for extra crunch. This would go well over warm grains if you wanted to add heft to the salad

Have made this salad with grilled radichhio and ungrilled. Prefer grilled but delicious either way.

This is a very delicious and colorful salad - my friends beg me to bring it when they invite me to lunch or dinner. You can use any endive and red bib lettuce if radicchio is not available - and any type of nuts pretty much work too - just don’t leave out or substitute the pomegranate seeds!

@MML: Same for me, and with ALL recipes, not only NYT. I have finally figured out that the timing reckoned for printed recipes appears always to be reckoned as the amount of time it would take on a cooking show or video—where all the prep (the “mise en place”) is already done. I’m persuaded that recipe writers never intend to include the time needed to pull all the ingredients out of storage, then measure, wash, peel, chop—all of that. That time is considerable!

Private comments are only visible to you.

or to save this recipe.