Roquefort Pear Salad

"Awesome! Have made this several times now since I found it almost a year ago, and it never fails to get rave reviews, out of the 80 or so recipes I have tried off of this site, this has been by far th..." See moree most successful! Instead of tossing the salad, I layer it as pictured on a large serving plate, b/c I think it looks so striking that way. FYI - Roquefort is a type of blue cheese, so it can be easily substituted with your favorite blue. I buy a good Danish Blue from Trader Joes. For lettuce I use 1 and 1/2 of the 10 oz. size bags of mixed greens...perfect amt. of lettuce. I use bosc pears, I find that they have good crunch that compliments the rest of the salad. Use red onion instead of green for color. I omit the avocado, unneccesary and browns fast, which isn't helpful if you are traveling with this salad. The dressing...is absolutely amazing. I always use dijon mustard for extra "tang". Double the dressing, and please use the red wine vinegar, as the recipe states! Don't sub in balsamic, it is much stronger than red wine and the taste would be off. The only other thing I do differently is add more carmelized pecans. BIGGEST CRUCIAL TIP: To properly carmelize your pecans, add 1-2 Tbsp. water to the pecans and sugar. This helps melt the sugar evenly over the pecans. If you do not add the water, the sugar may burn, or you will end up with rock hard sugar pieces that will break your teeth! Enjoy, if a salad can be considered phenomenal, this is it!"

"I was fully expecting to be disappointed just because of all the excellent reviews this recipe has gotten but it was fantastic. The combination of creaminess (cheese, avocado), sweetness (pear, nuts),..." See more crunchiness (nuts) and the tangy dressing really deliver. I did not think it was possible to crave a salad but I was wrong!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! NOTE: I have made this recipe a few times now. I decided to try someone else's advice to add water when caramelizing the pecans to cut down on the time and I very much regretted doing that. You end up with sugar coated pecans rather then caramelized ones. Not at all the same taste and texture."

"This salad is fabulous... got raves at my holiday brunch. I definitely recommend doubling the dressing recipe, as well as making it the nite before as it really allows the flavors to blend. Don't skim..." See morep out on the avocado... the creamy texture is a wonderful addition!!"