Are you looking for something tasty to make with a surplus of pears? This grilled pear recipe is super-easy and you can even use unripe pears (which I had to!) They come out soft, sweet and with those gorgeous char marks on that makes everyone want to eat one.
Cooking pears on the grill (or in a griddle pan) is really easy. You simply need to slice them thickly, get your grill or griddle pan nice and hot, grease it, add the pear slices and wait a few minutes. Once you can see the grill marks they’re done.
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How to Serve a Grilled Pear Recipe
I chose to make mine as part of a salad. I made a goat cheese log and had that with the griddled pears, a large romaine leaf and some sliced strawberries for a pop of color.
As I rolled the goat cheese log in walnuts I didn’t add any nuts to the salad but I bet candied walnuts would be seriously amazing. You might like to serve the pears with blue cheese (such a classic flavor combination).
Of course, as pears are a fruit, you can enjoy them for dessert, perhaps served warm with a scoop of premium vanilla ice cream on top! Or use them to top a cheesecake or anything else that comes to mind.
Can you Grill Unripe Pears?
Yes! I had a pear that was still pretty hard (no give at all) so what I did was cut the whole thing into 6 lengthwise slices and simmer in water for a few minutes, until I could piece one with the tip of a sharp knife without much resistance.
After that, I drained them well and then proceeded with the recipe and they came out just as tender as perfectly ripe ones. Don’t use very ripe or over-ripe pears in this recipe though – they’ll fall apart!
If you have some like that, add them to a smoothie, stew them with water and sugar or find another use for them. They need to be kind of firm to grill and to flip on the grill without falling to pieces.
What Type of Pear is Best to Grill?
You can use any kind (even Bartletts which are especially delicate) but they shouldn’t be over-ripe or too soft. I used conference pears which came out perfectly, even though they were rock hard to start with!
PrintGrilled Pear Recipe
This easy recipe for grilled pears is super-simple to make and they’re sure to come out juicy, sweet and truly delicious.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 8
- Total Time: 13 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Method: Grill
Ingredients
- 1 pear
- Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Cut the pear into 4 to 6 lengthwise slices. Use the tip of a knife to dig out any seeds.
- If the pear is very hard, simmer the slices in boiling water for a few minutes, or until you can pierce the thickest looking slice in the center without too much resistance. Drain well.
- Grease a skillet and warm it up on the stove.
- Use tongs to add the pear slices and let them sizzle for a couple of minutes, then flip and grill or griddle cook them other side too.
- You can rotate them 90 degrees and repeat if you want a criss-cross pattern or omit this if you just want grill marks going across the slices.
- When the grill marks are dark, the pears are ready to serve.
Notes
- You can serve this grilled pears recipe hot from the skillet with ice cream or whipped cream, or chilled as part of a salad or appetizer/dessert platter. They’re also amazing with oatmeal or as part of a granola parfait.
- You can remove the stem and base before cooking if you like. I left them on because they look pretty like that.
- Keep leftover grilled pears in a covered container in the refrigerator and use within a couple days.
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You might also like to try Old Bay shrimp and apple salad, pears with stilton and curd cheese or maybe this steamed couscous with fruit.
