Pear and Arugula Salad with Maple Vinaigrette and Creamy Fried Goat Cheese

This recipe has it all in terms of texture and flavor: creamy, juicy, sweet, and peppery. And yes, I’m talking about a salad.

Forget boring salads with chopped vegetables and a standard dressing. We’re getting all autumn up in here.

Let’s start with the basic ingredients: peppery arugula, juicy Bosc pears, and roasted hazelnuts.

Unlike baby spinach, which can have a slightly sweet taste, arugula has a distinctly peppery flavor that contrasts perfectly with sweeter ingredients.

In addition to flavor, arugula also brings with it a boost of nutrition, as it’s high in many vitamins and minerals including:

• Calcium, which helps with blood clotting and muscle function in addition to bone health support.
• Potassium, a mineral that’s essential for heart, muscle, and nerve function, and can help reduce bloating.
• Vitamin C, an antioxidant that’s important for maintaining a healthy immune system.
• Vitamin K, which plays a major role in blood clotting.
• Vitamin A, an antioxidant that supports overall eye health and immune function.

On top of this nutritious leafy green, we’re adding slices of juicy Bosc pear.

While there are many types of pears, two popular ones you’ve likely seen at the grocery store are brown Bosc pears, and yellow-green Bartletts.

Either type will work for this recipe. But I recommend going with Boscs if you can find them. Their flavor has hints of warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg – perfect for a fall-inspired salad like this one!

For some crunch, we’re sprinkling roasted hazelnuts on top (but we also have used our savory granola instead!).

While you could buy pre-roasted and chopped hazelnuts, you’d be missing out on filling your kitchen with their deliciously nutty, toasted aroma.

Plus, roasting your own takes just 10 minutes, and raw hazelnuts are often cheaper than the pre-roasted kind.

Dried currants add a touch of earthy sweetness, and chewy bits of texture.

And of course, a salad isn’t complete without dressing. And we’ve got one that you’re going to want to drizzle over everything this fall: a maple vinaigrette.

Now, let’s talk about maple syrup. I beg you not to use one of those “maple” impostors sold in a plastic bottle.

Often labeled as “pancake syrup,” artificial maple syrups rarely contain real maple. Instead, they’re primarily made of high fructose corn syrup with some caramel coloring added in – both of which have been associated with increased inflammation and risk of several chronic diseases.

So, trust me when I say it’s worth spending some extra money on the real stuff. Not only is pure maple syrup made from just one natural ingredient, it also tastes better.

You can even replace the maple syrup for an equal amount of strawberry syrup, if you want to play up the fresh fruitiness of this salad. It would be a wonderful complement to the goat cheese!

And since we’re on that topic, let’s talk about the warm, melty goodness to top it all off: fried chevre.

While it’s not the healthiest ingredient in this salad, we’re keeping things on the healthier side by using avocado oil for frying, which is a heart-healthy oil that can stand up to heat better than olive oil.

Plus, we’re only using just enough to make pretty golden-brown goat cheese slices without creating something that’s dripping in oil.

This ingredient is also a good source of protein, and there’s some calcium in there too. When eaten sparingly, full fat dairy products deserve a place in your healthy diet.

Frying the goat cheese does add a few extra steps, but don’t let that turn you off. Most of the time is hands-off prep while they sit in the freezer; after that, it’s just 4 minutes spent lightly frying them.

And trust me, when you take your first bite of the warm, creamy chevre along with the juicy pear, peppery arugula, rich hazelnuts, and sweet maple dressing, you won’t have any second thoughts about the extra prep time that’s involved.

Instead, you’ll just be thinking of how to steal the rest of those fried goat cheese slices off of your family’s plates.

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Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Measure and Prep Ingredients

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Measure out all of your ingredients.

With the skins on, slice the pears and remove the seeds and cores. Set aside.

Roughly chop the arugula.

Step 2 – Roast Hazelnuts

Arrange hazelnuts in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast them for about 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted and fragrant.

Remove the pan from the oven, carefully transfer the nuts to a large plate or bowl, and allow them to cool completely.

Once they’ve cooled, rub a couple of hazelnuts at a time between your hands to remove the skins. It’s okay if you don’t get all of the skins off, but the majority should slide off easily.

Roughly chop the hazelnuts with a sharp knife, or pulse them a few times in a food processor. Set aside.

Step 3 – Coat Goat Cheese Slices

Using a sharp knife, cut your log of soft goat cheese into 8 slices of the same size.

Pour panko into a shallow bowl.

Place each slice of cheese in the panko one at a time, and gently turn to coat both sides and the edges.

Transfer the coated slices to a small baking tray, or place in a baking dish, without any overlap.

Place the baking tray in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes. This will keep your goat cheese from melting and falling apart during frying.

Step 4 – Make Dressing

While the goat cheese is in the freezer, make the dressing.

In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Keep whisking while you slowly add the olive oil, to form an emulsion. Set aside.

Step 5 – Assemble Salad and Fry Goat Cheese

Place 2 cups of arugula in each bowl. Top with pear slices, currants, and roasted hazelnuts. Set aside.

Once your salads are assembled, the last step is to fry the goat cheese. You want to do this just before serving, so the goat cheese is still warm and melty when you sit down to eat it.

Place 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add the goat cheese slices, making sure to leave some space between each slice. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove and set on a paper towel-lined plate to drain for 30-60 seconds before serving.

Note: if you only have a small or medium-sized pan, you may need to fry the cheese in batches.

Step 6 – Garnish with Goat Cheese

Place two fried goat cheese slices on top of each salad, drizzle dressing on top, and enjoy immediately. The greens will become limp and the slices soft and soggy if you try to make this too far in advance.