Roasted Pear and Blue Cheese Bruschetta

I bet at some point you’ve been to an Italian restaurant and sampled bruschetta.  It’s one of the classics of the Italian menu and they can jazz it up in all kinds of impressive ways.  While the classic version is often a lot about tomato, there’s also loads of other ways to serve it.  An example – this Roasted Pear and Blue Cheese Bruschetta! 

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Bet you never thought about adding fruit to bread, right?  But stick with me, you’ll love it.

What is bruschetta?

Because I’m a what and why person, let’s take a moment to just remind ourselves what bruschetta is.  People often ask if bruschetta is the bread or the toppings.  In one sense, it is both.  But technically, it refers to the bread because the term ‘bruschetta’ comes from the Italian term to ‘toast’ or ‘char’.  

The original version of the dish was stale sliced bread that was toasted then drizzled with olive oil, garlic and salt.  Then people got clever and started to add more toppings to it – tomatoes, onion, garlic, even cheese.

Bruschetta versus crostini

The other thing people ask is what’s the difference between bruschetta and crostini.  Both are Italian appetizers that use bread.

The answer is mostly about the type of bread used.  With bruschetta, it is most often a rustic type of bread or a sourdough variety.  But the crostini is made from a finer textured bread such as a white bread baguette.

Portion sizes also vary.  Typically, you get one or two pieces of bruschetta in a portion because it is larger bread.  But with crostini, you often get four or five pieces as they are smaller.

What you need to make roasted pear and blue cheese bruschetta

• ½ large French baguette or other rustic bread
• 1 large pear (Bartlett is a good type)
• 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 t. dried thyme leaves
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 3 oz. blue cheese, sliced
• 1 c. balsamic vinegar
• ½ c. fresh arugula
• 1/3 c. walnuts, finely chopped
• 2 T. honey

Kitchen equipment

• Large baking sheet
• Small spoon
• Pastry brush
• Small skillet

How to make the recipe

STEP 1: Place the top oven rack in the centre position and pre-heat the oven to 375°F. 

STEP 2: Cut half the baguette into 18 equally thick slices and arrange on one side of a large, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Reserve the remaining baguette for another use.    

STEP 3: Slice the pear in half, stem to bottom, and carefully remove the seeds with a small spoon. Thinly slice the pear halves into half-round pieces, as shown, and arrange on the other half of the same baking sheet. 

STEP 4: Brush the bread slices and the pear with the olive oil and sprinkle the dried thyme leaves on the pear slices. Season the bread and pears with salt and black pepper, to taste, and place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. 

STEP 5: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and top each of the bread slices with a thin piece of blue cheese and turn the pear slices. Return to oven and roast for another 10 minutes, or until the blue cheese is melted and the pear is fork-tender. 

STEP 6: Meanwhile, heat the vinegar in a small skillet set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently until the vinegar thickens and is reduced to 1/3 of its original volume, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.   

STEP 7: Remove the baking sheet from oven and spread the blue cheese into an even layer on each slice of bread, then top with a couple of pieces of fresh arugula. Top each appetizer with a couple of slices of the roasted pear and some finely chopped walnuts. 

STEP 8: Drizzle each appetizer with a little honey and some of the balsamic glaze and serve immediately. 

Storing the recipe

Freezing the recipe: You can freeze bruschetta but it is best to do it separately so the ingredients don’t end up making the bread soggy while freezing.  So pre-cut the bread and store it in a freezer bag, add some greaseproof paper between sheets to stop them sticking together.

You can also freeze the pears.  Pop them on a baking sheet in the freezer until frozen.  Remove them and pop them in bags.  Defrost thoroughly then use in the recipe.

I wouldn’t freeze the cheese or the cooked mixture.

Recipe tips

This recipe creates 18 appetizers so you can either use the rest of the bread to make another style of dish.  Or you can increase the amount of mixture and make more of the bruschetta if you want.

For a real Italian touch, use an Italian blue cheese.  My favourite is Dolcelatte – it smells really strong but has a great flavour that would be perfect for this kind of dish.

Yield: 18 appetizers

Roasted Pear and Blue Cheese Bruschetta

Print

Check out this fresh take on an Italian classic and make Roast Pear and Blue Cheese Bruschetta as an appetizer for any occasion

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ large French baguette or other rustic bread
• 1 large pear (Bartlett is a good type)
• 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 t. dried thyme leaves
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 3 oz. blue cheese, sliced
• 1 c. balsamic vinegar
• ½ c. fresh arugula
• 1/3 c. walnuts, finely chopped
• 2 T. honey

Instructions

STEP 1: Place the top oven rack in the centre position and pre-heat the oven to 375°F. 

STEP 2: Cut half the baguette into 18 equally thick slices and arrange on one side of a large, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Reserve the remaining baguette for another use.    

STEP 3: Slice the pear in half, stem to bottom, and carefully remove the seeds with a small spoon. Thinly slice the pear halves into half-round pieces, as shown, and arrange on the other half of the same baking sheet. 

STEP 4: Brush the bread slices and the pear with the olive oil and sprinkle the dried thyme leaves on the pear slices. Season the bread and pears with salt and black pepper, to taste, and place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. 

STEP 5: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and top each of the bread slices with a thin piece of blue cheese and turn the pear slices. Return to oven and roast for another 10 minutes, or until the blue cheese is melted and the pear is fork-tender. 

STEP 6: Meanwhile, heat the vinegar in a small skillet set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently until the vinegar thickens and is reduced to 1/3 of its original volume, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.   

STEP 7: Remove the baking sheet from oven and spread the blue cheese into an even layer on each slice of bread, then top with a couple of pieces of fresh arugula. Top each appetizer with a couple of slices of the roasted pear and some finely chopped walnuts. 

STEP 8: Drizzle each appetizer with a little honey and some of the balsamic glaze and serve immediately. 

Notes

This recipe creates 18 appetizers so you can either use the rest of the bread to make another style of dish.  Or you can increase the amount of mixture and make more of the bruschetta if you want.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

18

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 99Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 136mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 3g

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