Roasted Pear with Fig Jam and Goat Cheese with Port

The latest Vegetarian Times magazine had a series of recipes all based around pears. The article opens up with an excellent quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

There are only 10 minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat.

So true. When we get pears, it's too easy to think that they will last the way an apple or an orange will. But then you bite into a "mealy mouthful of overripe pear" and you realize you should have used that pear earlier.

Lately, I've been getting better with the pair of pears that have been in our box for the last few weeks. I dice one up in the morning, pour some vanilla yogurt on top, and take it as a part of my lunch. The yogurt and pear combo is a good one in my book.


The VT spread had an intriguing recipe for Roasted Pear Salad with Chevre and Fig Vinaigrette. I made it fairly close to the original using Maiche instead of watercress or arugula. While quite good, we thought the roasted pear was good enough on its own that it didn't need to be a salad. It made a perfectly good, palette-cleansing last course. A variation of the fruit/cheese course. The fig and the pear complement each other quite well. And the cheese gives it a bit of creaminess. More importantly, it makes the perfect course with which to enjoy a glass of quality port. This will show you that a pear should never go to waste.














Roasted Pear with Fig Jam and Goat Cheese (with Port)

• 1-2 pears, halved and cored
• fig jam (I found fig jam at Whole Foods in the jelly/jam part of the store. But over in the cheese section they were selling a jar of "Organic Adriatic Fig Spread" which I opted to get. Both were equally expensive.
• goat cheese, sliced
• olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Place pear halves cut side up
• Spoon 1 teaspoon jam in the center of each pear half
• Top with goat cheese
• Lightly drizzle with oil
• Bake pears for 30 minutes, or until cheese begins to brown

Serve warm with a glass of port and enjoy!

There's also room to add your own variations. Maybe some roasted nuts with a touch of honey sprinkled over the top might add another dimension. A stronger cheese like blue cheese would also be interesting. Just put "roasted pears" into Google and see the possibilities.