Pear and Endive Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
Pear and Endive Salad is a light, elegant dish that perfectly balances sweet and savory flavors. Crisp Belgian endive pairs beautifully with juicy pears, tangy cheese, and crunchy candied pecans, all drizzled with a bright champagne vinaigrette. Whether served as a starter or a refreshing side, this salad is simple to prepare yet sophisticated enough for any occasion.
Recipe Steps
I first served this salad at a 2023 dinner party, adding in mixed greens when I couldn’t find enough Belgian endive. Red pears added a delicious sweetness, though other varieties work just as well. While store-bought candied pecans or walnuts are an option, they’re incredibly easy to make at home. For a fresh touch, I topped the salads with broccoli microgreens. Preparing and plating the salads in advance on large trays made serving effortless—just a quick drizzle of champagne vinaigrette before they hit the table!
Pear & Endive Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
Equipment
- 1 Immersion Blender optional
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 5 heads Belgian endive
- 2 sweet pears (red preferred) unpeeled, seeds removed with a melon baller, thinly sliced (½ pear per salad)
- ½ cup feta or blue cheese crumbled
- ½ cup caramelized & candied pecans
- ½ cup Microgreens
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 2 Tbsps. Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup champagne vinegar
- 2 Tbsps. fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsps. organic local honey
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Pear Slices
- 3 Tbsps. fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
Make the Dressing:
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, Dijon mustard, champagne vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking until the dressing is well emulsified. An immersion blender makes this easy if you have one.
Prepare the Salad:
- Clean and separate the Belgian endive leaves. Arrange them in a star pattern or wagon wheel shape on individual salad plates, using 1½ to 2 heads per plate.
- Slice the pears in half, remove the seeds with a melon baller, and thinly slice. Toss the slices in a mixture of lemon juice and water to prevent browning.
- Arrange the pear slices over the endive leaves.
- Sprinkle crumbled feta or blue cheese over the salad.
- If not serving immediately, refrigerate the plated salads until ready to serve.
- Just before serving, lightly drizzle with the champagne vinaigrette and top with caramelized pecans. See the recipe for making candied pecans or walnuts here: https://www.victoriacook.com/candied-pecans/
Victoria Cook
Victoria is a passionate home cook who became the host and chef of over 100 episodes of a private cooking show tailored for wellness practitioners and their patients. With a love for ethnic cuisines, she enjoys using a variety of spices and fresh ingredients to create flavorful, healthy meals for her husband and son. Always up for a culinary challenge, Victoria finds joy in experimenting with new recipes—and if she can whip them up in an electric pressure cooker, she’s even happier.
Affiliate Disclosure
This website includes affiliate links for products I genuinely love and use. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work!
