Abel & Cole good food, the right way

new to Abel & Cole?

just enter your postcode here

to setup a new account

shopping basket

0 items in basket Total = £0.00

There's nothing in your basket!

Pear recipes - Our favourite pear recipes so you can make the most out of your organic pears

pear recipes

Here's a collection of pear recipes from our weekly newsletters, and some lovely ones you've sent in. If you'd like more please have a look at our recipe index! To find out about our pear producer and order yours click here.

Pear, Grape and Cucumber Salad
Pears Poached in Red Wine
Grilled Lamb Chops with Pear and Kiwi Salsa
Pear Dessert Wraps
Walnut Maple Baked Pears
A Light Pear and Plum Crumble
Pear Ginger Cordial

print page

Pear, Grape and Cucumber Salad

3 ripe but firm pears
1/2 medium cucumber
100 g (4 oz) grapes
For the dressing (makes 150 ml (1/4 pint)
120 ml (1/2 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard (optional)

Peel and core the pears; slice one pear thinly and dice the rest. Cut the cucumber lengthways, slice half of it and dice the rest. Make a bed of the pear and cucumber slices in a small salad bowl. Put the remaining pear, cucumber and grapes (reserve 5 or 6 grapes) into a bowl and toss them in dressing to taste. Pour this mixture over the bed of pear and cucumber slices. Garnish the salad with the reserved grapes, you may wish to chill the salad first and then serve.

Pears Poached in Red Wine

2 cups red wine
5 tablespoons mild honey
5 tablespoons raisins
3-inch stick cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
Juice of 1/2 lemon
5 tablespoons slivered almonds
120 ml heavy cream, whipped for topping

Combine the wine, honey, raisins, and cinnamon and cardamom in a large saucepan. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile core and slice the pears. Place them in a bowl of water diluted with the lemon juice. After 5 minutes drain the pears and add the wine mixture along with the almonds. Cover and poach for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm, topped with the cream. Alternatively, top with 1/2 cup of yoghurt.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Pear and Kiwi Salsa

Also lovely with diced lamb; marinated and skewered with vegetables like onions, peppers and courgettes. Serves 4.

3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cognac or brandy
3 garlic cloves, minced
rack of lamb or loin chops, enough for 4 people
2 pears, cored and diced
3 kiwis, peeled and diced
optional: 3 tablespoons dried cranberries or cherries
1/2 onion, minced
juice of one lemon
optional: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or basil

Whisk 1 tablespoon honey and the soy sauce, cognac, garlic and coriander together in a baking dish. Add the lamb and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Combine the remaining salsa ingredients (including 2 tablespoons of honey), and let stand for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper, and barbecue or cook under the grill. Serve over basmati rice, topped with salsa.

Pear Dessert Wraps

This versatile dessert is simple to make, but unique enough to impress at a dinner party. You may substitute with apples if you like, and experiment with soft cheeses, such as goat's cheese or brie.

3 medium ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into thick matchsticks
200 ml apple juice
30 g (2 tablespoons) sugar
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
200 g soft cheese, like mascarpone, ricotta or cream cheese
4 small or medium flour wraps (tortillas)

Place the pears, apple juice, sugar, cloves and cinnamon stick in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer until the pears are just tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and set them aside. Discard the cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer until it reduces by half. Preheat your oven to 180°C, 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or aluminium foil. Spread a small scoop of cheese in the centre of the wrap. Top with a few pear slices, then roll up. Bake, seam side down, for about 10 minutes, until the wraps begin to brown. Remove to serving plate, spoon some reduced sauce over each wrap, and serve.

Walnut Maple Baked Pears

Excellent served with vanilla ice cream! Serves 4

2 firm pears, sliced in half lengthwise and cored
1/2 lemon
1 handful roasted walnuts
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons apple juice
Ground cinnamon for sprinkling

Preheat your oven to 200°C, 400°F, gas 6. Rub the pears with lemon. In a bowl combine the butter and syrup. Toss the pears in the mixture; then stuff them with the walnuts. Lay the pears, stuffed side down, into an oven dish. Drizzle the pears with the mixture, add the apple juice; bake until the pears are soft, 15–20 minutes, basting occasionally. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.

A Light Pear and Plum Crumble

I made this recipe the other day after noticing two very ripe pears in my fruit bowl. It was delicious and because the pears were so ripe, it needed very little sugar. I also lighted the crumble topping up by using a bit of extra virgin olive oil in place of the butter and a touch of honey to lighten up the sugar requirements. This is a good recipe to make at the end of your veg box week.

225g rolled oats
100g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of ground cloves
a pinch of ground cinnamon
75g butter
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
50g caster sugar
4 tbsp honey
3 quite ripe pears
3 ripe plums

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Place the oats in a food processor and grind until quite fine - just slightly grainier than wholemeal flour. Add the flour, spices, butter and sugar. Pulse until it's almost breadcrumb-y, then add the oil and honey and pulse some more. Add a touch more oil or butter if it's looking too dry. Add more oats if it's on the wet side. Peel and core the pears and cut into 1inch pieces (or a tad larger if you want decent hunks of fruit). Halve the plums, remove the stones and cut in slightly smaller-sized pieces.

Tumble into a ceramic baking dish. Pile on the crumble topping and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the topping is golden.

Pear Ginger Cordial

Makes 225ml

4-5 pears, juiced to create 350ml juice
2-3 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger (2 tbsp will give you mild heat, add 3 if you want your cordial to have a proper kick of ginger)
100ml agave syrup

Place pear juice, ginger and agave in a large sauce pan and bring to the boil. Cook at a gentle, rolling boil until it's reduced by half. Let it set for 10 minutes.

Strain into bottle and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Dilute with cold water, sparkling water or drop into champagne or whisky - it makes an excellent hot toddy (whisky, cordial and cloves topped with hot water). It's also a lovely sweetener for herbal teas.

NOTE: I haven't tried bottling this one for the cupboard but if you fancy making a long-life cordial use this recipe but instead of the agave, use 350g caster sugar and strain into sterilised bottles. Store for up to 6 months.