Recipe Ideas for Fresh Comice Pears

You’ve been blessed to receive a gift of Comice Pears! You are enjoying their delicate sweet flavor but have been wondering about others ways of eating your pears. Because of their delicate fragrance, beautiful skin and juicy, velvety flesh, Comice pears are the perfect compliment to many dishes and can be utilized as an appetizer, salad, part of an entree and of course, dessert! Listed below are just a few of the many uses for Comice pears:

For a delicious and beautiful appetizer, consider Comice Pear Carpaccio. Place pears on a cutting board, stem side up. Carefully make 1/8 slices toward the core. Turn and repeat on opposite side. Arrange the pears on a platter. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Season with sea salt and lemon zest. Squeeze lemon juice over the pears and garnish with shaved Parmesan Reggiano and freshly cracked pepper.

Comice pears can also be easily used during the salad course. Start with the salad greens of your choice. Arugula and frisee both add great taste, color and visual interest to the salad. Next add thin slices of Comice pears that have been dipped in lemon juice to prevent browning. Including either shaved Parmesan or crumbled blue cheese adds another layer of flavor to the salad. Toasted walnuts are a perfect compliment to the greens, pear and cheese; both in flavor and in texture. Finish the salad with a white wine/dijon mustard vinaigrette.

One entree option is to grill either chicken breast or pork tenderloin. After grilling, allow the meat to rest and then slice across the grain. Layer on the salad highlighted above, add some crusty French bread and you have the perfect entree salad! What about Comice pears on your next pizza? Sounds crazy, but it is delicious. Try placing fresh pesto on your favorite pizza crust. Top with thinly sliced Havarti cheese and bake until the pizza is bubbly and golden. Remove from the oven and add thinly sliced prosciutto, crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, thinly sliced Comice pears, arugula and pepper.

Rather than a sugary dessert, consider using some of ‘natures candy’ with Comice pears. Core and slice pears and arrange on a platter. Add an assortment of your favorite cheeses. Blue cheese, Gorgonzola, St. Andrea, Parmesan, Stilton, Chevre are all excellent choices. Be sure to include some toasted nuts like pecans or walnuts. Add a little honey and you have the ‘pear-fect’ ending to your meal.