Recipes

Not Your Mama’s Pear Salad

Serves: 6–8 servings

My mama didn’t like to cook, but she could open a can and “Menia’s pear salad” always showed up on church reunion tables each fall. We’ve taken a truly vintage Southern classic from childhoods and ramped up the protein for a holiday or anytime side dish.

Ingredients

½ cup cottage cheese or Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 cans (15-ounce) sliced pears in juice, drained and juice set aside
½ teaspoon salt
1 large iceberg lettuce
2 jars (10-ounce) maraschino cherries, drained
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

  1. For the dressing, use a hand mixer to whip together the cottage cheese, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of pear juice and salt.

  2. Cut lettuce into bite-sized pieces.

  3. Remove stems from half the cherries and cut into halves.

  4. At serving time, toss lettuce with the cut cherries.

  5. Add dressing a little at the time until the lettuce and cherries are lightly dressed.

  6. Arrange on a serving platter and spoon pears over the lettuce mixture.

  7. Arrange on a serving platter and spoon pears over the lettuce mixture.

  8. Garnish with stemmed cherries.

  9. Serve chilled.

Recipe Courtesy of

Culinary Adventurist Wendy Perry is a home economist, blogger and NC food artisan. (WendyPerry.com)