Recipes and Cooking No-Fuss Blue Cheese and Pear Salad with Apricot Nectar Dressing 3.0 (4) This salad brims with big chunks of pears and blue cheese. Its bold flavors pair well with beef or chicken. By BHG Test Kitchen BHG Test Kitchen The Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen has been in continuous operation for nearly 100 years, developing and testing practical, reliable recipes that readers can enjoy at home. The Test Kitchen team includes culinary specialists, food stylists, registered and licensed nutritionists, and other experts with Bachelor of Science degrees in food science, food and nutrition, or culinary arts. Together, the team tests more than 2,500 recipes, produces more than 2,500 food images, and creates more than 1,000 food videos each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on December 1, 2005 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Prep Time: 30 mins Chill Time: 30 mins Total Time: 60 mins Servings: 12 Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients ½ cup apricot nectar ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil ⅓ cup white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard ½ teaspoon salt 3 green onions, finely chopped ½ cup snipped dried apricots 6 ripe red skinned, Seckel, and/or bartlett pears, cored and cut into wedges 10 cup mesclun mix or torn mixed salad greens (about 9 oz.) ½ a large head radicchio, finely shredded (about 2 cups) 8 - 10 ounce cambazola or other blue cheese, cut into wedges, or goat cheese, cut into rounds ¾ cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted Directions For Apricot Nectar Dressing, in a very large bowl whisk together apricot nectar, oil, vinegar, mustard, and salt. Stir in green onions and dried apricots. Add pears to dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, 30 minutes to 3-1/2 hours. When ready to serve, place mesclun on a very large platter. Sprinkle with shredded radicchio. Use a slotted spoon to remove pear wedges from dressing; place pears on radicchio, reserving vinaigrette. Arrange cheese wedges or rounds on the salad, and sprinkle almonds over all. Drizzle with reserved dressing or pass dressing with salad. Makes 12 servings. Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 242 Calories 16g Fat 21g Carbs 7g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 12 Calories 242 % Daily Value * Total Fat 16g 21% Saturated Fat 5g 25% Cholesterol 14mg 5% Sodium 397mg 17% Total Carbohydrate 21g 8% Total Sugars 13g Protein 7g Vitamin C 5.9mg 30% Calcium 141.4mg 11% Iron 0.9mg 5% Potassium 350mg 7% Folate, total 32.3mcg Vitamin B-12 0.2mcg Vitamin B-6 0.1mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.