I’ve been treated to many delicious meals during our visit in SA, of which this pear salad is one. My good friend Colette, whipped this up one hot afternoon after coming back from our “hunt for all things old”.

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Colette’s pear salad

  • 2 firm pears
  • mixed salad leaves
  • handful of peppery rocket leaves
  • walnuts
  • parmesan cheese
  • butter
  • brown sugar
  • white balsamic vinegar
  • lemon juice
  1. Wash and cut the pears into eight parts.
  2. Heat some butter with a spoonful of sugar in a pan, add the pears and sauté over high heat until nicely caramelized.
  3. Spoon into a dish and leave aside. Add the walnuts to the same pan and brown quickly over high heat. Set aside
  4. Deglaze the pan with some white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
  5. Arrange the salad leaves on 2 plates, spoon the hot pears on the salad and sprinkle the walnuts. Spoon the deglazed pansauce over the salad and finish off with some shaved parmesan cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of pepper.
  6. For a more substantial meal: Add some crisp fried parma ham/bacon, or goats cheese, or some flaked white fish to the salad.

                                                        Serves two

Finish off this late afternoon meal, much later, with tea and a freshly baked cupcake that you’ve bought on your way home at the sweet deli just around the corner.

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11 thoughts on “Colette’s pear salad”

  1. I am so envious, especially as I am sitting here on a grey and rainy day. The pear salad looks like something my mom would whip up, perhaps with a little crispy pancetta, and the cupcake is really sweet. yum

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  2. Welcome back! I love pear salads, and yours looks wonderful. White balsamic? I will have to look for that one.

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  3. Hello! First of all, hope you had a great vacation in SA! I miss it! 🙂
    Secondly, this pear salad looks simple and lovely… I’ll have to try it out some time!

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  4. Lovely! And I adore white balsamic vinegar… so perfect for apples and pears!

    So glad to see you back and posting again! I missed you.

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  10. Oh how delightful! I love pears but somehow they never make it into my salads. Silly, because when I was in Italy last month we had The Best Salad In The World – green leaves, pear slices, Parmiggiano chunks and prosciutto slices with walnuts – divine!

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  11. Hi,
    It’s something particular.
    Special.

    Do you know Parsienne ‘Colette salad’ with grapefruit, lettuce hearts and avocado?

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