Frisée Pear Blue Cheese Prosciutto (Printable version)

Bitter frisée meets sweet pears, creamy blue cheese, and crispy prosciutto in this elegant 25-minute salad with tangy vinaigrette.

# 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 Make:

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. Remove and allow to cool, then 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, blue cheese, and toasted walnuts.
04 - Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to coat. Top with crispy prosciutto shards immediately before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The bitter-sweet-salty tango between frisée, pear, and blue cheese creates a flavor conversation that actually keeps you interested.
  • It comes together in 25 minutes flat, which means you can impress people without spending your afternoon in the kitchen.
  • Crispy prosciutto adds a textural surprise that elevates it from ordinary salad to something you'd order at a restaurant.
02 -
  • Don't assemble the salad more than a few minutes before serving, or the vinaigrette will wilt the frisée and soften the pear slices into mush.
  • The prosciutto needs to cool completely before you break it into shards, or it'll bend instead of shatter—I learned this the hard way with a limp, greasy batch.
03 -
  • Warm your salad bowl by rinsing it with hot water before you add the greens—it keeps the vegetables crisp longer and makes the flavors taste rounder.
  • Toast your own walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for three minutes, stirring constantly, and you'll wonder why you ever bought them pre-toasted.
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