Champagne Tossed Pear Salad with Chevre
You might be wondering, “this sounds extra fancy, Cara”. Really? Greens tossed in champagne? But hear me out. First and foremost, there was extra champagne lying about in the fridge from New Years (bubbles ultimately spent by now) and greatly wanted to be used up. Second, that the subtle citrus and fruity flavor from champagne adds the perfect complexity in making a salad so unexpectedly delicious.
This can hardly be called a recipe. As it was made on a whim, unmeasured ingredients tossed in absent abandon. In the end, me and my family loved it so much I had to recreate it and share it with you.
Eating this Champagne Tossed Pear Salad with Chevre (Whoa! That’s a mouthful) is my feeble yet successful attempt to transport myself to France through my table. At the same time, I just wanted to feel extra fancy.
It was in one of Heidi Swanson’s cookbooks (a lovely book that I highly recommend) where she inspired me to use champagne as a salad dressing. In her original rendition she uses white wine and accessorizes with some day old croissants instead of croutons. I’ve been wanting to try out my own version ever since and was not disappointed. This was easily one of the quickest yet more elegant dishes that have come out of my kitchen. Proof that sometimes the most simple of dishes are the most tasty.
Just A Few Tips
- There is no need to follow this recipe to the letter. After all, it is a salad. Feel free to tweak to your liking or even to subtract from the add-ins to let your fresh produce shine. Some changes that would be yum:
Swap out the chevre for feta cheese, baby swiss or if you’re adventurous, a blue cheese
Instead of champagne, try a white wine. Preferably a crisp dry variety that is not too sweet. The general rule is to choose a wine you would drink yourself.
Add/subtract any of the other fix-ins such as the fruits and nuts.
I still highly support the addition of croissants, casually torn by hand. This would be so good!
- Because this salad is so simple, you will definitely taste every component. I suggest you use the best quality ingredients available to you especially when it comes to the olive oil.
- Season your greens of choice with salt and pepper. This is a tip I learned from working in a restaurant and it makes complete sense. No one needs to eat bland veggies.
- If you’re looking for a dish to pair this with, it goes really well eaten together with this lemony garlic pasta.
Lastly, let me know if you enjoy this Champagne Tossed Pear Salad with Chevre by leaving a comment and/or a rating down below! I would love to see all your personal tweaks and twists. Especially when I get to see all your amazing photos!
Champagne Tossed Pear Salad with Chevre
Ingredients
- 200 g (4 bunches) romaine/arugula/mixed greens , herbs are welcome too
- 1 small onion , thinly sliced
- ½ pear* , thinly sliced, ¼" thick
- 60 g chevre cheese
- 50 g candied walnuts
- 25 mL (a few glugs) champagne/white wine
- 8 mL (a couple of drizzles) olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Wash the greens thoroughly and dry. Season with some salt and pepper and give it a toss. Add in the onions, pears, crumbled chevre and candied walnuts, adding more if necessary.
- Pour in a few glugs of the champagne and drizzle in the olive oil. Lightly toss everything together. Taste and adjust the seasonings and dressing accordingly. If the taste is too light add some more champagne being careful not to add too much lest you overwhelm the salad with alcoholic passion.
Notes
Some things you might need
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