Warm Pear & Blue Cheese Crostini
These lovely warm crostini mix sweet soft pear and creamy, salty blue cheese with the crispy crunch of toasted granary bread. The contrast in flavours and textures make each mouthful memorable – and this is one of those handy Italian recipes that you can part-make in advance and quickly assemble when you need it. Perfect for parties!
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Prep time10 minutes![]()
24 portions
Ingredients
- 1 granary bread Baguette
- 25 grams Bertolli Originale buttery spread
- 75 grams dolcelatte cheese or other creamy blue cheese
- 3 tbsp soured cream
- 2 small ripe pears
- 2 tbsps caster sugar
- sprigs of watercress or other salad leaves, to serve
Nutritional Guidelines
(per serving)
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Cut the bread into 24 x 1cm thick, diagonal slices and arrange them in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Spread very sparingly with Bertolli. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until crisp and golden. Leave to cool slightly on a wire rack.
- Beat the blue cheese and sour cream together until smooth.
- Cut each unpeeled pear into 12 thin wedges and remove the core. Dip the 24 slices into the caster sugar. Warm a non-stick frying pan or griddle over a high heat. Add the pear and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until caramelised and golden.
- To assemble, spread the crostini with the blue cheese mixture, top with a piece of warm pear and finish with a sprig of watercress. Sprinkle with a little black pepper, to taste before serving warm.
if you are having a party you can make all the separate elements in advance (to the end of step 3) then assemble the crostini at the last minute.
