This salad pairs blanched broccoli with ripe pear, crumbled blue cheese, toasted walnuts, celery, and a champagne-shallot vinaigrette. It comes together in about 37 minutes and works as a side or a light lunch. The combination of cold, crisp vegetables with creamy cheese and sweet fruit is genuinely good โ not just visually.
What makes this version work
Two things matter here. First, the blanch-and-shock step: two minutes in heavily salted boiling water, then straight into ice water. This stops the cooking immediately, so the broccoli stays bright green and snaps when you bite it rather than going dull and soft. Skip the ice bath and youโll get olive-colored, limp florets by the time you serve. Second, the vinaigrette uses Dijon mustard as an emulsifier โ whisk the oil in slowly and it stays glossy and cohesive instead of separating into a puddle at the bottom of the bowl. That cling matters because broccoli florets have a lot of surface area; a broken dressing just slides off.
Substitutions that actually work
- Champagne vinegar: White wine vinegar is the listed backup and works well. Avoid apple cider vinegar here โ itโs too assertive and muddies the dressingโs cleaner flavor.
- Blue cheese: Gorgonzola dolce is the mildest option and the easiest to crumble cold. Stilton is sharper and saltier โ taste before adding the finishing flaky salt if you go that route.
- Walnuts: Pecans toast in the same time and swap in cleanly. Avoid pine nuts; they donโt hold up to the bold cheese.
- Pears: Bosc holds its shape best after slicing and tossing. Bartlett works but goes soft faster, so slice it last.
- Dried cranberries: Raisins or dried tart cherries both work. If you skip them entirely, the salad is still balanced โ they add chew but arenโt structural.
Troubleshooting
- Dressing tastes flat: Taste it before tossing. Champagne vinegar varies in acidity by brand. Add a small squeeze of extra lemon juice and a pinch more salt โ the honey and mustard can mask under-seasoning until itโs too late.
- Pears turn brown quickly: The recipe calls for tossing them in lemon juice right after slicing. Donโt skip this step, and donโt slice them more than 15 minutes ahead of serving.
- Salad is watery at the bottom of the bowl: The broccoli must be fully dry before dressing. After the ice bath, drain it well in a colander, then spin it in a salad spinner or spread it on a clean towel for a few minutes. Wet broccoli dilutes the vinaigrette.
- Blue cheese is clumping instead of distributing evenly: Cold cheese straight from the fridge crumbles cleanly. If itโs been sitting out and has softened, it smears. Keep it refrigerated until the moment you assemble.
- Walnuts go soft: Let them cool completely on the cutting board before adding them to the salad. Warm nuts steam under the other ingredients and lose their crunch within minutes.
Keeping leftovers crisp
Dress it at the table โ a pre-dressed salad goes limp fast. If youโre making this ahead, store the blanched broccoli, sliced celery, and toasted walnuts together in one airtight container, and keep the pear slices (tossed in lemon juice) and blue cheese separate. The vinaigrette keeps in a jar in the fridge for up to five days; shake or re-whisk before using. Once assembled and dressed, the salad holds for about 30 minutes before the broccoli starts to soften noticeably and the pears begin to break down. Leftovers stored dressed will last overnight in the fridge but lose most of their texture โ the broccoli gets waterlogged and the walnuts go chewy.
Broccoli Blue Cheese and Pear Salad
Equipment
- Oven
- Sheet pan
- Large pot
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Colander
- Salad Spinner
- Chef's Knife
- Cutting board
- Tongs
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
For the toasted walnuts
- 100 g walnut halves raw
For blanching the broccoli
- 36 g kosher salt for blanching water
- 960 ml ice cubes for ice bath
- 680 g broccoli crowns trimmed into 1-inch florets
For the champagneโshallot vinaigrette
- 1 small shallot finely minced (about 2 tbsp)
- 15 g Dijon mustard
- 21 g honey
- 45 ml champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 15 ml fresh lemon juice
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 0.5 g freshly ground black pepper
- 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil
To assemble the salad
- 2 medium ripe but firm pears Bosc or Bartlett; cored and thinly sliced
- 15 ml fresh lemon juice for tossing pears
- 2 ribs celery thinly sliced on the bias
- 30 g dried cranberries optional
- 115 g blue cheese crumbled (Gorgonzola, Roquefort, or Stilton)
- 6 g chives finely chopped
- 1 g flaky sea salt for finishing, optional
- 0.5 g freshly ground black pepper for finishing
Instructions
- Toast the walnuts: Heat the oven to 350ยฐF / 175ยฐC. Spread the walnut halves on a sheet pan and toast for 6โ8 minutes, until fragrant and lightly darkened at the edges. Transfer to a cutting board to cool, then roughly chop.
- Bring water to a boil: Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Season the water generously with the kosher salt. Prepare a large bowl with the ice cubes and cold water for an ice bath.
- Blanch and chill the broccoli: Add the broccoli florets and blanch for 2 minutes, just until bright green and crisp-tender. Drain immediately and plunge into the ice bath for 2 minutes to stop the cooking. Drain well, then spin dry in a salad spinner and pat dry so the vinaigrette clings.
- Make the vinaigrette: In a medium bowl, whisk together the minced shallot, Dijon, honey, champagne vinegar, and lemon juice. Season with the sea salt and black pepper. While whisking, stream in the olive oil until the dressing looks glossy and emulsified, 30โ60 seconds.
- Dress the broccoli: In a large mixing bowl, toss the very dry broccoli with about two-thirds of the vinaigrette until evenly coated. Let sit for 5 minutes to absorb flavor.
- Prepare the pears: In a separate bowl, toss the sliced pears with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Assemble the salad: Add the pears, celery, chopped toasted walnuts, and dried cranberries (if using) to the dressed broccoli. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Fold in most of the blue cheese and chives. Taste and season with flaky salt and the finishing black pepper.
- Plate and serve: Mound the salad on a platter or individual plates. Sprinkle with the remaining blue cheese and chives. Serve immediately while the broccoli is crisp and the pears are juicy.
Notes
Chefโs Tips
- Dry broccoli is key: after the ice bath, spin thoroughly and pat dry so the vinaigrette adheres instead of sliding off.
- Choose pears that yield slightly at the stemโtoo soft and theyโll collapse; too firm and theyโll lack aroma. Crisp apples are a fine substitute when pears are out of season.
- Swap-ins: pecans or hazelnuts for the walnuts; champagne vinegar can be replaced with white wine vinegar in a pinch.
- Blue cheese varies in saltiness; build seasoning gradually and finish with flaky salt only if needed. For vegetarian diners concerned about rennet, look for blue cheeses made with microbial or vegetable rennet.
- Make-ahead: vinaigrette keeps 5 days refrigerated. Blanch broccoli up to 1 day ahead and keep chilled and dry; assemble with pears and nuts just before serving.
- Add protein: grilled chicken, sliced steak, or a can of well-rinsed chickpeas turns this into a heartier main.
Nutrition
FAQ
Can I use frozen broccoli instead of fresh?
No โ frozen broccoli wonโt work here. Frozen florets are already partially cooked and hold too much water; they turn mushy instead of crisp-tender, and the ice bath step wonโt save them.
How salty should the blanching water be?
The recipe calls for 36g of kosher salt in the pot โ thatโs about 2 tablespoons, which is genuinely a lot. It should taste noticeably salty, like mild seawater. This seasons the broccoli from the inside and makes a real difference in the final flavor.
Can I make the vinaigrette without honey to keep it vegan?
The salad as written includes blue cheese, so itโs not vegan regardless. If youโre adapting it for dietary reasons, maple syrup substitutes for honey in equal amounts and emulsifies similarly.
Whatโs the best way to add protein to make it a full meal?
Sliced grilled chicken or drained chickpeas both work without disrupting the balance of the salad. Add them at assembly so they donโt weigh down the broccoli or absorb all the dressing.
My shallot tastes harsh and sharp โ what can I do?
Soak the minced shallot in the champagne vinegar for five minutes before building the rest of the vinaigrette. The acid mellows the raw bite significantly without losing the shallotโs flavor.