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Baked Pears with Blue Cheese & Cider Sauce

These baked pears go off in a savoury direction & feature blue cheese, a savoury crumble & cider sauce and they are the perfect side dish for pork!

Portrait close up image of a savoury baked pears side dish in a cider sauce served on a white plate

Savoury Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese

Roasted or baked pears typically invoke thoughts of dessert time, in much the same way as poached pears. But this fruit is exceptionally good in savoury dishes too.

They appear in my pork chop skillet recipe as well as caramelised served on top of my deep fried Camembert recipe.

These pears form a stand-alone side dish and they feature blue cheese. A classic savoury flavour combination often used in pear salads.

Here it melts into the cider sauce and adds a fantastic earthy sour tone.

We finish it all off with a simple savoury crumble that adds an incredible texture to the dish.

Portrait overhead image of a savoury baked pears side dish in a cider sauce served on a white plate

What Blue Cheese to Use

Your choice of blue cheese for this recipe should be defined what you are serving it with.

If you are serving these alongside a lean piece of meat with subtle flavours then you should go for something mild like Danish Blue.

But if you are pairing these baked pears with something punchy then try Stilton or Gorgonzola.

If you are thinking of serving this to someone who is less comfortable with blue cheese you should try Bleu d’Auvergne.

It is a “mouldy cheese with a different culture. It has a sweeter almost nuttier flavour that many people who do not like blue cheese really like.

Portrait image of a savoury baked pears side dish in a cider sauce served on a white plate

Serving Suggestions

If you think pork and apple is a classic combination then wait till you try pork and pear!

Because this easy bake pears recipe just sings when served along side pork.

It does not matter what pork either, they are fantastic with pork belly slices as well as roasted pork belly! For both of these, I would use Stilton cheese as the blue cheese because of its strong flavour.

It is also great with pork chops and blackberry sauce or even my skinless sausages wrapped in leeks, for these I would use either Roquefort or Gorgonzola cheese.

If you wanted to serve it with something mild like this bacon wrapped tenderloin then Danish blue would be ideal.

If you wanted to go really left field you could even serve these baked pears with crispy pigs ears!

Landscape image of a savoury baked pears side dish in a cider sauce served on a white plate

Equipment Used

I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Stovetop.
  • Oven.
  • 24cm or 10″ frying pan or skillet (ovenproof). You will need two of these or you will need to make the crumble first then clean out the pan.
  • Spatula.
  • Whisk.
  • Mini blender or bag and rolling pin to crush the crumble.
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Chopping board.
  • Vegetable peeler.
  • Large bowl to soak the pears.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring jug, cups and spoons.
Square image of a savoury baked pears side dish in a cider sauce served on a white plate
Yield: 2 Servings

Baked Pears Recipe with Blue Cheese, Cider Sauce and Savoury Crumble

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Baked pears need not be a dessert! This recipe combines them with blue cheese a cider sauce and savoury crumble to create a delicious and unusual side dish!

Ingredients

  • 1 Pear
  • 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 150ml (⅔ Cup) Cider
  • ½ Tsp Brown Sugar
  • 100g (1 Cup) Blue Cheese
  • 30g (2 Tbsp) Butter

For the Savoury Crumble:

  • 10g (1½ Tbsp) Pumpkin Seeds
  • 20g (2-3 Tbsp) Hazelnuts
  • 15g (2½ Tbsp) Rolled Oats
  • ⅛ Tsp Salt
  • 30g (2 Tbsp) Butter

Instructions

  1. Mix together enough water with the lemon juice in a bowl to be able to cover the pear when it is cut in half.
  2. Peel the pear and cut it in half and with a combination of a sharp knife and a spoon remove the core.
  3. Take a thin slice of the bulbous part of the pear so it will stand flat then plunge into the lemon water to prevent them from browning.
  4. Take half of the butter for the pears and heat in an ovenproof 24cm or 10" frying pan over a high heat.
  5. When the butter begins to foam dry off the pear and sear cut side down for 60 seconds or until you have a nice caramelisation.
  6. Flip over the pear and crumble the blue cheese into the cavity left by the core.
  7. Pour in the cider and sprinkle over the brown sugar.
  8. Roast in an oven at 200°C or 400°F for 30 minutes.
  9. Remove from the oven, remove the pear and whisk in the last of the butter.

For the Savoury Crumble:

  1. Lightly crush the ingredients for the crumble in a bag or pulse them in a blender.
  2. Add the lightly crushed ingredients to a dry frying pan 24cm or 12" frying pan and toast over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn them!
  3. Add the butter for the crumble to the pan and stir to coat. This can be served either warm or at room temperature! I usually make the crumble before I start the pears.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 600Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 915mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 6gSugar: 18gProtein: 15g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Erine Harrison

Tuesday 18th of January 2022

Could this be served as a starter with salad leaves?

Brian Jones

Wednesday 19th of January 2022

Yes, I don't eat starters often hence it being a side dish. But it would be great with some rocket (arugula) or watercress, maybe even some radicchio.

Kenneth Wortley

Monday 1st of January 2018

Brian, Thnak you for adding to the extra line addition, but your pictures seem to omit the pear. How did you plate everything?

Brian Jones

Tuesday 2nd of January 2018

The pear is definitiely there front and centre, take a look at the overhead image below the recipe instructions that will hopefully give you a clearer picture of how I plate up :)

Kenneth R Wortley

Monday 25th of September 2017

Do you mean to puree/chop the roasted pear with the toasted nuts? Neither your preparation instructions nor the plating picture show the pear. Thank you.

Brian Jones

Tuesday 26th of September 2017

Hi Kenneth...

I have added an extra line to the instructions that will hopefully make it a little clearer :)

Slav Lady

Sunday 24th of September 2017

Another delicious recipe from Krumpli. Excellent with winter coming on. Shall look out for perry.

Brian Jones

Tuesday 26th of September 2017

Cheers :)

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