Frisée Pear Blue Cheese Prosciutto (Printable)

Bitter frisée meets sweet pears, creamy blue cheese, and crispy prosciutto in a light 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 Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange prosciutto slices in a single layer and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp. Remove from oven and let cool, then break into large shards.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and freshly ground black pepper until fully combined.
03 - In a large salad bowl, combine torn frisée, sliced pears, crumbled blue cheese, and toasted walnuts.
04 - Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly. Top with crispy prosciutto shards immediately before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in 25 minutes flat, which means you can pull off a restaurant-quality starter without stress.
  • The contrast of textures—crispy, creamy, tender, chewy—keeps every bite interesting and prevents the typical sad-salad fatigue.
  • Those crispy prosciutto shards add an umami punch that makes the whole thing feel indulgent rather than virtuous.
02 -
  • The prosciutto truly must go in at the very end or it becomes limp and sad. I learned this the hard way during a dinner party when I assembled everything 20 minutes early.
  • Don't wash your frisée and immediately assemble the salad—give it a few minutes to dry after spinning it, or the vinaigrette will slide right off and pool at the bottom of the bowl.
03 -
  • Buy your prosciutto from the deli counter where you can ask them to slice it, and it'll be fresher and crisper than the pre-packaged stuff.
  • If you're serving a crowd, assemble the base components ahead of time but add the dressing and prosciutto only when people are ready to eat, giving you one less thing to fuss with during service.
Return