Sautéed Maple Pears with Bacon and Walnuts

And just like that we are starting that glorious time of late summer transitioning into early Autumn.

Sure, we still have about 3 weeks till the official start of Autumn, but in my heart, it’s been Autumn since July 18th. (random date, but you get the point, right?!)

So here is my first unofficial attempt at welcoming the transition with a pear recipe.  This one couldn’t be more easy.  And it starts with bacon, so I know I have your attention now! It’s basically sliced pears sautéed in bacon fat and maple syrup, with walnuts added at the end to coat them as well as the fruit and bacon with the maple syrup.  It tastes even better than it sounds!

Which Pears are Best for This Dish?

Pears, like apples, can be considered either eating, baking or both.  For most baking situations, you want a pear that won’t break down and turn either mushy or mealy. You want to choose pears that hold together well when making poached, baked, or grilled dishes. Crisp raw pears can withstand heat. The popular Bosc pear is the my favourite choice for baking or poaching, with Anjou a close second.  On the other hand the popular Bartlett pear will completely break down when confronted with heat, so it’s great for butters or sauces. Forelles are crisp and sweet, and are perfect for salads. Comice are also sweet and juicy, but will completely break down like the Bartlett.  For a great list of what to expect from the most common pear varieties, check out this Masterclass article.

How to Prepare This Dish

You will start by quartering one pear per person, so four pears for this dish.  Remove the core, and depending on how large the pears are, slice each quarter into two or three slices.  You don’t want thte slices to be too thin. Next you will cut four rashers of thick cut bacon into small lardons, or pieces.  Into a pan over medium heat till they soften and are starting to get crisp.  At this point you will add the pear slices (if the bacon did not release a lot of fat, you can add one or two teaspoons of olive oil.  Place the pear slices in and quickly sauté on the first side. Turn, and then add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.  Cook everything for about 2 minutes, till the bacon has crisped up and the maple syrup has coated the pear slices.  Add 1/3 cup chopped walnuts and quickly toss to coat in the maple syrup as well. Done! The final seasonings will be a crack of coarse black pepper and fresh thyme leaves.

How to use Pan Fried Pears

They make a lovely topping for ice cream or yogurt or even oatmeal. Serve them with whipped ricotta or goat cheese, or with arugula and baby kale for a lovely first course. Place them into a brie grilled cheese sandwich. These pears would also be amazing on grilled or baked flatbread with melted gorgonzola and caramelized onions! And as I show here, they make a fabulous brunch topping for pancakes, waffles or crepes (I stuffed mine with brie cheese that melted under the warmth of the crepes!). Feel free to swap out the walnuts for chopped pecans.  Replace the thyme leaves with chopped rosemary.  And yes, you could totally take this recipe and replace the pears with apples!  The same rule applies, use apples that stay firm once baked or sautéed.

For the crepes, use my foolproof Basic Crepes recipe, which can easily be adapted for gluten free diets by using a cup for cup gluten free flour blend.

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Pan Fried Maple Pears with Bacon and Walnuts

In no time at all you have a lovely dish to spoon over yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes, or even added to a salad or into a grilled cheese sandwich. Firm pear slices are combined with pan fried bacon lardons, maple syrup and walnuts. A most aromatic treat.

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Salad

Cuisine North American

Keyword bacon, maple syrup, pears, walnuts

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4 Bosc pears, or any firm baking pear
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 4 rashers of bacon
• olive oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• coarse black pepper
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves

Instructions

1. Quarter the pears and remove the core. Slice each quarter in half (or thirds if they are especially large) and place them into a bowl.
2. Combine the lemon juice with a splash of water and toss this over the pear slices. This will help them from turning brown.
3. Slice the bacon into small bite sized lardons (about 1/2 inch wide) Add these to a large skillet set over medium heat. Sauté the bacon until it has almost crisped up, about 5 minutes.
4. If the bacon hasn't released too much fat, add about 2 tsp of olive oil to the pan.
5. Add the pear slices to the pan and let them cook for about 1 minute. Add the maple syrup over everything and let it cook into the pears and bacon. Turn the slices to brown on both sides, about 3 minutes total. Add the walnuts and coat them in the maple syrup.
6. Remove from the heat. Finish with a crack of black pepper and thyme leaves.
7. This can be served over yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes for breakfast; added over mixed greens or even into a grilled cheese sandwich for a savoury treat; or even over vanilla ice cream for dessert.
8. See blog post for more details