As the days get shorter, the weather turns colder and our nesting instincts kick in we find ourselves spending more time in the kitchen. The flavors of fall are so much fun to play with. Apples, pumpkins, and brussels sprouts are definitely trending right now. But in our opinion, pears are the unsung heroes of fall. Poached, baked, sliced, what have you . . . pears are just plain delightful. And pears with goat cheese? Transendant. This recipe from one of our favorite cookbooks (that we blogged about here) incorporates grilled pears for a simple, delicious dish.
We must note that the pine nut paste really amps up the flavor. You could just stop there . . . skip the pears, skip the goat cheese . . . just pine nut paste on toast. Yum.
Pear Crostini
Pear crostinis with goat cheese . . . as pleasing to the eye as they are to the belly.
Recipe from Plenty
Makes: 4 generous servings (although you may want to eat them all yourself!)
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to drizzle at the end
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- salt and pepper
- 4 large slices sourdough bread, cut 1 1/2 inches thick
- 3 semi-ripe pears (unpeeled)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 4-5 ounces goat cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°. Place the pine nuts, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, the garlic, a pinch of salt and some black pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to a coarse and wet paste. Use a brush to apply paste to one side of every sourdough slice. Lay bread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly colored. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
- While the bread is in the oven, prepare the pears. Stand each pear on a cutting board and trim off a very thin layer of skin from each side. Then cut each pear lengthways into four thick slices. Remove the core with the tip of a knife. Place the slices in a bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, the sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Toss gently.
- Take a ridged griddle pan and place on a high heat until very hot. Lay the pear slices gently in the pan and leave for about a minute on each side, just to make char marks. Turn carefully and then remove with tongs, trying not to break the pears.
- To assemble the crostini, slice the cheese thinly and arrange over the toasts, alongside the pears. You want to see both clearly, so allow them to overlap and rest on each other to create height. Place the crostini in the oven for 3-4 minutes, just to warm up and for the cheese to partly melt. Remove from oven and garnish each slice with a drizzle of olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper.