Under the Sea Pear Salad

I had high hopes for this one, but it was disappointing.  I love pears, and I love jello and cream cheese combinations. But somehow, this one didn’t quite deliver. I don’t think the ginger really went well with the pears, and the ginger flavor was too dominant even though I only used the requested 1/8 teaspoon.

The recipe called for canned pear halves, lime jello, salt, lemon juice, cream cheese, and ginger.  There’s a layer with cream cheese in the mix, and a layer without, so the dish has a pretty appearance.  For some reason the recipe recommends serving with mayonnaise. Mayonnaise? I didn’t do this. I have to draw the line somewhere. Maybe that is why the dish didn’t do well? Would mayo have actually improved it? Mayo, ginger, and pears? Blech.

I’m guessing they added the mayo because this recipe is in the “Salads that Make the Meal” chapter. Every other recipe in that chapter involves veggies, meat or fish (or all of the above).  So I’m not really sure why this fruit dish is thrown in there. Maybe the mayonnaise addendum was a last minute thought to help the recipe fit into this chapter.

Guests scored this a 2.6 on a scale of 1-5. Perhaps it would have been more appealing if I hadn’t made it in the brain mold?

Some guest comments…

“No…just no” – Sara

“Odd flavor” – Brian

“Baby food?” – Ivanna

“Pretty presentation” – Larisa

“Pear is a nice presence but the ginger is overwhelming.” – Christopher