Fennel and Celery Salad with Roth Buttermilk Blue

Pears, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts round out this autumnal salad finished with Roth’s mild and creamy Buttermilk Blue cheese.

Serves
4
Time
15 minutes

GRACE ANN LEADBEATER

By Clare Malfitano

Published on November 6, 2024

Executive chef Clare Malfitano sweetens the tart brown butter dressing for this fall salad with a delicate, floral honey; for easy mixing, look for an all-natural variety that is liquid and pourable at room temperature. Sprinkled atop crunchy shaved fennel and celery and tender ripe pear, Roth Cheese’s Buttermilk Blue is a mild and creamy crowd-pleaser even the blue-resistant can love.

Featured in "Get To Know America’s Greatest Women Cheese Professionals," by Kristin L. Wolfe.

Ingredients

For the dressing:

8 Tbsp. salted butter
1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

For the salad:

1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed, fronds coarsely chopped and reserved
1 Anjou pear, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
1½ cups thinly sliced celery, leaves reserved
1 cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
½ cup crumbled Roth Buttermilk Blue cheese

Instructions

Step 1

Halve and thinly slice the fennel bulb, then transfer to a medium bowl filled with ice water and set aside until you're ready to assemble the salad.

Step 2

Make the dressing: To a small nonreactive skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter and cook, using a wooden spoon to occasionally scrape the milk solids up off the bottom, until the butter is very fragrant and the solids turn light golden brown, about 3 minutes. (Don’t walk away from the stove; butter can burn quickly.) Remove from the heat, swirling the pan until the butter stops sizzling, then carefully whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and the honey. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Step 3

Make the salad: In a salad spinner, thoroughly dry the shaved fennel, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the pear, celery, celery leaves, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, and fennel fronds, followed by the warm dressing. Toss well, transfer to a platter, top with blue cheese, and serve.