Frisée Pear Blue Cheese Prosciutto Salad (Print Version)

Bitter frisée meets sweet pears, creamy blue cheese, and crispy prosciutto in a tangy vinaigrette. An elegant starter or light lunch.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Salad Base

01 - 1 large head frisée lettuce, washed and torn
02 - 2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
03 - 3.5 oz blue cheese, crumbled
04 - 6 slices prosciutto
05 - 1 oz toasted walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped

→ Vinaigrette

06 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
07 - 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
08 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
09 - 1 teaspoon honey
10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange prosciutto slices in a single layer and bake for 8-10 minutes until crisp. Cool and break into large shards.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
03 - In a large salad bowl, combine frisée, sliced pears, crumbled blue cheese, and toasted walnuts.
04 - Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss gently to coat. Top with crispy prosciutto shards immediately before serving.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • The contrast of flavors actually works—bitter, sweet, salty, creamy all in one bowl without fighting each other.
  • You can have it on the table in under 30 minutes, which means you can impress people without spending your whole afternoon cooking.
02 -
  • Don't dress the salad more than a few minutes before serving or the frisée will wilt and the pears will weep liquid into the bowl.
  • The prosciutto goes on last—I learned this the hard way when I mixed it in early and it turned soggy and chewy instead of staying crispy.
03 -
  • Toast your own walnuts or pecans instead of buying them pre-toasted—you get better flavor and can control exactly how dark they go.
  • Make the vinaigrette in a jar with a tight lid and shake it hard for a minute instead of whisking; it emulsifies better and you can keep extra in the fridge for a week.
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