Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2009

This salad was delicious and a big hit with my friends. We especially liked the pear/creme cheese part. As one friend said, "Pears with creme cheese? How can you go wrong!" However, I agree with the other reviewer who said that there may be too much going on so next time I think I will make just one part or the other - just the salad w/ carrot mixture, or just the pears with filling. Most of my guests took it apart and ate it this way anyways. I used craisins instead of raisins, and would recommend trying it that way.

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Reviewer:

mckellister

Reviewed: Mar. 18, 2008

I so wanted to like this recipe; the presentation was beautiful and I liked the pears and cream cheese filling. However, the French dressing did not compliment the other flavors. I'll try it again with Litehouse sesame ginger or a poppy seed dressing. The Litehouse dressing is excellent, if you haven't tried it.

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Reviewer:

Ginger

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Nov. 30, 2007

Very different! I did not have all the ingredients and so had to tweak the recipe a little but I bet it would taste very good if I had all the ingredients. Also, took me 4-5 bites to really start liking the taste. Otherwise, I initially thought cream cheese with crunchy pears was strange when I took the first bite. Could be a little on the sweeter side so, next time I will watch the amount of french dressing.I used fresh and they were delicious. I also used dried prunes instead of dates as I did not have any. Its a good alternative though. Thanks for a pretty salad recipe. I think I will certainly make it again and also for company!

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1 user found this review helpful

Reviewer:

VIVNIDHI

Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2005

This was absolutely delicious! The only thing I changed was using walnuts as opposed to pecans because that's what I had in stock. I used red leaf lettuce and a little bit of fresh spinach; all around it had a lovely presentation. (I served this with Creamy Curried Pumpkin Soup and Irish Soda Bread, also found on this site.) I was intrigued by the idea of the pear and cream cheese mixture as the predominant dressing agent in the salad: it was delectable. The hubby also liked it, although my roommate (who's favorite food is Kraft macaroni and cheese) thought there was "too much going on with it." To me that was final proof that although the salad was simple to make, it comes off as beaufifully complex and a delight to multiple senses.

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7 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

MISSCELLANEA

Reviewed: Mar. 7, 2004

A Pretty, great tasting salad. I will be saving this recipe to make again. We thought it would be good with Bbq chicken or steak. The name brand 15oz can of pears we used had 4 pear halves and 2 sm. pieces. For 6 servings you may want to buy a larger can of pears. Thanks for the great recipe Allana!

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5 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

BEINCOGNITO

Reviewed: Oct. 25, 2003

Prepared this for a dinner party last night and it received RAVE reviews. I used red leaf lettuce for GREAT eye appeal and I used 1/2 of the amount of French Dressing called for and substituted real mayonnaise for the other half ... helps to cut the "tangy" taste of the French dressing. Thanks, Allana for sharing!

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12 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

JUDI LEAMING

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Chestertown, Maryland, USA

Living In: Dover, Delaware, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 2, 2003

THIS WAS A TOTAL HIT at my lunch bunch group. Tasty, and easy to make, I willmake it a lot more often, especially for company!!

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8 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

REEKAM

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Manhattan, New York, USA

Living In: Freehold, New Jersey, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 27, 2003

This was very good. I ommited the dates though.

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5 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

ALETA14

Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2002

This is a very smooth and elegant palate pleaser, indeed. I made two slight changes: chopped walnuts and golden raisins. The date and cream cheese mixture with the pear halves is a combination that will leave your taste buds screaming for more. Definitely a five star recipe that I'll be making time and time again.

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15 users found this review helpful