This is such an easy-to-make, yet elegant appetizer: you get buttery soft pears, baked with Gorgonzola piccante and crunchy pecan nuts! A drizzle of hot honey adds a sweet, salty and spicy touch that’s so hard to resist.
What you’ll love about this recipe
I haven’t always thought about pairing fruit with cheese, I remember when my sister was little she had a thing for topping her toast with plum jam and crumbling feta cheese on top. It was such a surprising combination, of course we were making fun of her!
- Simple Ingredients: This pear and gorgonzola recipe is really all about choosing great ingredients and you’re done!
- Quick and Easy: I found this recipe so rewarding, yet it is the work of minutes.
- Sophisticated Flavor Pairing: The sweet and savory flavors of pears and Gorgonzola, the warm honey with the fragrant spices make this dish an absolute classic!
- Texture & Crunch: Once the pears get baked, they are soft and buttery, but then the lovely pecan nut bits get nice and toasty bringing that crunch that’s oh, so satisfying.
- Dinner Party Hero: I love to serve the baked pears and gorgonzola as a cozy appetizer during fall or winter holidays. And sometimes, they even made a gorgeous Boxing Day lunch.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Pears – I made these with Williams and Conference pears, and they came out great. I think the pears should be ripe but still a little firm so that you can cut and scoop them easily.
- Gorgonzola – which is your favorite one: piccante or dolce? I made these baked pears with both dolce and piccante, and I can say that piccante is always my first choice: I love that pepperiness and sharp savory flavor.
- Hot Honey – you can totally freestyle this bit, I like Acacia Honey and adding freshly cracked peppercorns, a pinch of cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg and some chili flakes. Sea salt flakes are optional.
- Pecan nuts – chop them roughly, they will toast in the oven and become heavenly!
How to make baked pears & gorgonzola (step-by-step)
Time needed: 20 minutes
Pears and gorgonzola make the most easy to put together appetizer that is also classy! Your elegant dinner party solved with sweet soft unctuos pears and sharp melty cheese, topped with crunchy toasty pecans and drenched in warm spicy honey! Absolute pear-fection 😉!
- Prep the Pears:
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Wash, dry and cut the pears in half, using an ice cream scoop or a teaspoon to remove the core. Place them cut side up on a baking dish or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Fill the Pears:
Fill each half with a generous chunk of gorgonzola cheese and a teaspoon or so of chopped pecan nuts.
- Make the Hot Honey:
In a medium bowl, add the honey and spices and mix. Spoon some of the honey blend in the cavity of the pears and drizzle a little all over the pears, cheese and nuts if you want. Scatter thyme (leaves picked) and finely chopped rosemary.
- Bake and Serve:
Bake in the middle shelf of the hot oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the nuts look toasted. The pears should be fork tender, but not falling apart. Depending on your oven, you might want to adjust the time, just keep a close eye on them. Serve two halves of the baked pears with gorgonzola per person, add more thyme and rosemary and drizzle more hot honey on top.
Pro Tips
- Choose ripe pears, you want a little juice oozing out of them as they bake, but not too overripe.
- Depending on your oven, you might want to adjust the baking time, just keep a close eye on them.
- Both the rind and the soft center of the cheese should be used, you will get some beautiful textures after baking, a little liquid or gooey.
What to serve with baked pears and gorgonzola
- I would not actually worry about serving anything else with them, but we do love to scoop up some of the cheese and juices from the baking dish with soft focaccia or this soft buttery sourdough sandwich bread.
- If you plan on serving them alongside a cheeseboard, check out some ideas for small charcuterie boards.
- Speaking of cheeseboards, I always assemble one during Christmas or New Year’s holidays and so, these baked pears and gorgonzola totally belong there! You can try just a cold version of this dish, with chutney and crostini or breadsticks.
variations and substitutions
- You can swap the gorgonzola piccante for a gorgonzola dolce, it’s a little milder. Or you can try other blue cheeses or any other ripe cheeses.
- Swap the nuts for chopped walnuts, pistachios, toasted almonds or even hazelnuts.
- If you’re thinking that fruit belongs with desert, well then…skip the cheese (I beg you not to though🙏). Just bake the pears with the nuts and honey, top them with a crisp topping like in my apple and strawberry crumble, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or Greek yogurt and enjoy!
- Have a play with the hot honey, you can change the flavors by switching up some of the spices, it sounds a little bit of a sacrilege but I feel like this should totally work with a Chinese five spice blend or a homemade pumpkin spice blend.
This pear and Gorgonzola dish is a simple but seriously delicious way to make your winter holiday parties feel extra special. The creamy sharp cheese just works beautifully with the sweetness of those buttery pears , and they look so pretty on a plate! You’re sure to get some “oohs” and “aahs” from your guests.
- If you make my recipe, take a snapshot for your Instagram
- Post and tag me @candyflossiecooks😉🤗!
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Pears and Gorgonzola Recipe
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 ice cream scoop or teaspoon to scoop the pear core out
- 1 baking dish or baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- 1 medium bowl to blend the honey and spices in
- 1 spoon
Ingredients
- 4 ripe pears
- 100 g gorgonzola cheese
- 50 g pecan nuts chopped
- 3 tablespoons honey runny
- ½ teaspoon cracked pink peppercorns or freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt flakes optional
- ¼ teaspoon crushed chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon rosemary finely chopped, optional
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves picked
Instructions
Prep the Pears:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Wash, dry and cut the pears in half, using an ice cream scoop or a teaspoon to remove the core. Place them cut side up on a baking dish or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Fill the Pears:
- Fill each half with a generous chunk of gorgonzola cheese and a teaspoon or so of chopped pecan nuts.
Make the Hot Honey:
- In a medium bowl, add the honey and spices and mix. Spoon some of the honey blend in the cavity of the pears and drizzle a little all over the pears, cheese and nuts if you want. Scatter thyme (leaves picked) and finely chopped rosemary.
Bake and Serve:
- Bake in the middle shelf of the hot oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the nuts look toasted. The pears should be fork tender, but not falling apart. Serve two halves of the baked pears with gorgonzola per person, add more thyme and rosemary and drizzle more hot honey on top.