This fall salad is a celebration of the season’s flavors and colors. It features juicy ripe pears, spicy arugula, crunchy maple-spiced nuts and seeds, tangy pomegranate seeds, creamy gorgonzola cheese, and sweet dried currants. The star of the show is the vanilla fig dressing, which adds a rich and aromatic touch to the salad. This salad is perfect for special occasions, holiday meals, or any time you want a delicious and beautiful salad.
How to make this fall salad
- Start by making the maple-spiced nuts and seeds. Toss pumpkin seeds and pecans with maple syrup, salt, and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Bake them in the oven until golden and crisp. Let them cool completely before adding them to the salad.
- Next, make the vanilla fig dressing. Whisk together fig preserves, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, vanilla extract, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. You can also use a blender or a food processor to make it smooth and creamy.
- Then, prepare the rest of the salad ingredients. Wash and dry the arugula leaves, slice the pears thinly, chop the red onion finely, crumble the gorgonzola cheese, and remove the seeds from a pomegranate. You can also use dried cranberries or cherries instead of currants if you prefer.
- Finally, assemble the salad. In a large platter or bowl, toss the arugula with some of the dressing. Top with the pear slices, spiced nuts and seeds, pomegranate seeds, gorgonzola cheese, and currants. Drizzle more dressing over the salad as desired. Enjoy!
Tips and variations
- You can make this salad ahead of time by assembling it without the dressing and refrigerating it until ready to serve. Add the dressing and toss well before serving.
- You can use any kind of ripe and flavorful pears for this salad. Red pears add a nice contrast of color, but green or yellow pears work well too.
- You can substitute spinach or mixed greens for arugula if you don’t like its peppery flavor.
- You can use any kind of cheese that you like instead of gorgonzola. Feta, goat cheese, or blue cheese are all good options.
- You can also add some cooked chicken, turkey, ham, or bacon to this salad to make it more filling and protein-rich.
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