Radicchio Pear Fig Salad with Mascarpone Dressing

Radicchio Pear Fig Salad with Mascarpone Dressing, a symphony of flavors and textures dancing beautifully together, creating a balance between the bitterness of the radicchio and the sweetness of the pear and figs, all lusciously coated in a wonderful creamy mascarpone dressing and elevated with additions of fresh basil and salted Marcona almonds.

Song of the day: Why (Remix) - Shawn Mendes, ft. Leon Bridges

[This post is sponsored by The Italian Centre Shop. We’ve been compensated but -as always- all opinions are our own.]

Of the five universally accepted basic tastes that are perceived by our taste buds: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami, I have my personal rankings.

The Five Tastes

Sweet is on top of my list. Sweet taste makes me happy and gives me energy, although, too sweet brings it all to the opposite side, becoming almost unpleasant. Salty foods tickle my taste buds and stimulate my appetite. Sour I like it in moderation; while my palate seems to like yogurt, some cheeses, and citrus fruits, I thoroughly dislike vinegar, pickles, fermented foods. Bitter ranks very high in my preference: bitter greens like chicory, radicchio, endive, broccoli rabe are very appealing to my taste. Umami, the 'pleasant savory taste', speaks to my tongue bringing a myriad of good sensations: mushrooms, Parmigiano, miso, seaweed, just to name a few, I like them a lot.

Radicchio Pear Fig Salad with Mascarpone Dressing

This salad is delightful because it plays with the taste receptors. There is the bitterness from the radicchio, the sweetness from the figs and pears, the saltiness from the Marcona almonds, and a little sourness from the grated lemon zest. The wonderful rich creaminess of the mascarpone dressing helps bring the flavors to balance. It wraps them all together delivering a most pleasurable taste bud experience.

Radicchio 101:

Radicchio [raˈdikkjo] is mostly associated with a bitter taste, and therefore I love it. It is a perennial cultivated form of leaf chicory (that's it!), with a bitter and spicy taste. The varieties of radicchio are named after the Italian regions where they originate.

• My favorite is Radicchio di Treviso IGP in the tardivo type, with its lancelike leaves, tightly packed heads that come to a point at the top, deep red in color with a white rib, distinctive bitter flavor and crunchy texture. It resembles a large red Belgian endive. Perfect either raw or cooked, often seen in risotto or grilled. I’ve never seen it in Canada, unfortunately.
• Radicchio di Verona IGP, long oval shape, compact leaves of intense dark red decorated with a white midrib. Again, perfect either raw or cooked, used from appetizers to dessert. We used it to make an incredibly delicious Pizza and a fabulous Risotto.
• Radicchio di Chioggia, with its cabbage-shaped head, is the most commonly found in supermarkets in Italy and abroad and it is one of the varieties I used for this salad. Mostly used in salads, it’s good also cooked (again, think risotto, pasta, pizza, or grilled).
• Radicchio di Castelfranco, less known and widespread, with its yellowish cream leaf and red speckles, it is a tender, beautiful, rose-shaped lettuce, used in salads and it is the other variety we used here.

Where can I find radicchio?

I would think your local Italian store or market would carry it. At least one variety of it. The Italian Centre Shop in Edmonton is well stocked in the produce section, and we found everything we needed to make this awesome salad. Just a few ingredients that create a symphony when paired together. However, if going to The Italian Centre Shop, be prepared to come home with way more than you thought, just because.................

Radicchio Pear Fig Salad with Mascarpone Dressing, a delightfully colorful and pleasing to the eye salad that delivers such amazing varieties of flavor and texture, that will surely have you with an eyebrow up discovering your taste bud sensations. Highly recommend getting some radicchio and have fun putting this wonderful salad together!

Radicchio Pear Fig Salad with Mascarpone Dressing says light, fresh, colorful, and oh so delicious! Spring has sprung, Summer is on its way, and salad season has officially launched!

Enjoy!

Song of the day: Why (Remix) - Shawn Mendes, ft. Leon Bridges.

Radicchio Pear Fig Salad with Mascarpone Dressing

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

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There is the bitterness from the radicchio, the sweetness from the figs and pears, the saltiness from the Marcona almonds, and a little sourness from the grated lemon zest on top. The wonderful rich creaminess of the mascarpone dressing helps bring the flavors to balance. It wraps them all together delivering a most pleasurable taste bud experience.

• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 2-3 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Salad:

• 170 g mixed radicchio
• 2 Bartlett pears
• 3 figs

For the Dressing:

• 2 tablespoon mascarpone cheese
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• Dash of white sugar
• Pinch of salt and white pepper

For the Garnish:

• 4 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
• A handful of salted Marcona almonds
• A grating of lemon zest

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Instructions

Salad:

1. Pull apart leaves of radicchio and wash well. Place in a salad spinner and spin till all the water is off the leaves.
2. Core pear and dice into ¼ inch pieces.
3. Wash, dry and cut figs in half.
4.  In a large wooden bowl break up radicchio leaves, place in diced pear, and cut figs. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.

Dressing:

1. In a small bowl, whisk the mascarpone with mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Mix until smooth and creamy.
2. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss gently, making sure dressing has coated the ingredients well. Sprinkle with fresh basil and Marcona almonds. Grate some lemon zest.
3. Ready to serve.

Enjoy!

• Author: Nicoletta
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: salad, radicchio, pear, fig, mascarpone, healthy, summer, almonds, Italian, lemon zest

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[This post is sponsored by The Italian Centre Shop. We’ve been compensated but -as always- all opinions are our own.]

Nicoletta

I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.