Grilled Romaine Hearts and Pears with Bleu Cheese topped with a tangy Dijon dressing is a deliciously elevated salad perfect for a summer dinner party.
I’m going to start off by saying right away that this recipe – Grilled Romaine Hearts and Pears with Bleu Cheese – might sound a little strange to some of you – but PLEASE bear with me! 🙂
This salad is absolutely delicious – and yes, the steps to make this salad include grilling the romaine lettuce hearts!
Don’t leave me now…
Grilling lettuce – just enough to give it a little bit of char and a slight wilt around the edges of the leaves – adds a wonderful, delicious, nutty flavor that totally transforms this salad into something incredible! Then we topped the grilled romaine hearts with slices of grilled pears, crumbles of tangy bleu cheese, toasted pine nuts, and a fantastic white balsamic vinaigrette.
This Grilled Romaine Hearts and Pears with Bleu Cheese is a contrast of warm and cool, crunchy and creamy, tangy and sweet – and your taste buds will be seriously dancing!
So please…give this incredible salad a try! We think you’ll be thrilled at how delicious it is!
PrintGrilled Romaine Hearts and Pears with Bleu Cheese
Grilled Romaine Hearts and Pears with Bleu Cheese topped with a tangy Dijon dressing is a deliciously elevated salad perfect for a summer dinner party.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: grilled
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Few grinds fresh black pepper
- 1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
For the Salad
- 1/2 cup pine nuts (walnuts or pecans may also be substituted)
- 3 large romaine hearts, brown core end sliced off and hearts cut in half the long way.
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 ripe but firm pears, cores removed; cut into 6 or 8 wedges (We used Bartlett pears)
- 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
- In a small bowl, place vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper and while whipping, slowly add oil to emulsify. Set aside.
- In a small dry sauté pan over medium heat, toast pine nuts and set aside.
- Heat a ribbed pan over medium high.
- Toss the pears with one tablespoon of the oil and grill for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Set aside.
- With the pan still on medium high, drizzle the remaining oil over cut sides of romaine and grill three halves for about 2 minutes, cut side only. Remove to a platter and grill remaining three halves and add to platter.
- Top with pears and dressing. Then sprinkle cheese and pine nuts over top and serve.
You may also like:
Mixed Greens with Pears, Goat Cheese, Dried Cranberries and Spiced Pecans
‘Hungry’ Grilled Romaine Salad
I actually love the char that lettuce gets when you grill it! I’ve never grilled it at home but I’ve had it out at local restaurants! Totally the perfect summer salad!