I don’t know about you but when I buy fresh pears I am always looking for ways to use them up other than eating them as is. So I decided to create the ultimate pear appetizer of pear appetizers. Try these for your next party, I promise you it will be a crowd favorite.
The drizzle of honey and saltiness from the blue cheese and prosciutto create the perfect sweet and salty flavor!
If you are looking for other easy appetizer recipes, give my Pistachio Coated Goat Cheese or this Homemade Guacamole from The Real Food Dietitians.
Nutritional Benefits of Pear Appetizers
Most people know about the Bartlett pear or anjou pears but there are several other variations! No matter the type of pear, they all have many health benefits.
Like most fruit, pears are full of fiber, vitamins minerals, and antioxidants.
Because of the fiber in pears, they can help control blood sugar. Fiber helps slow down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream - helping your blood sugar slowly rise rather than spike.
The fiber in pears also helps relieve constipation and overall helps with digestive health.
To get the added benefits of the fiber make sure to eat the skin of the pear! That is where the majority of the fiber lives.
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
Baguette - Fresh baguette slices that have been toasted in the oven give such a great crunch to this easy recipe!
Pears - I like to use ripe and sweet Bartlett pears but Asian pears would work really well too for pear appetizers.
Prosciutto - Prosciutto is uncooked, unsmoked, dry-cured ham.
Blue cheese - I prefer to use block blue cheese and crumble it myself rather than buying blue cheese crumbles.
Honey - The honey is an essential ingredient to make this an elegant appetizer, it really pulls it all together!
Thyme - My personal favorite herb for this app is fresh thyme but you could also use fresh rosemary!
Salt and pepper
Kitchen Equipment
Oven
Large baking sheet
Knife
Cutting board
How to Make Pear, Prosciutto, and Blue Cheese Crostini:
Bake baguette slices: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the slices of baguette on a baking sheet and lightly coat with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt on top. Bake for 3-4 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown and remove. The slices will start to get firm as they cool to room temperature.
Crumble blue cheese: Cut the blue cheese into thin ½-inch pieces or into crumbles.
Cut prosciutto: Cut the prosciutto into thin pieces (24 pieces) to drape over the baked baguette slices (crostini).
Assemble the crostinis: Layer the prosciutto, pear slices, and blue cheese on each of the bread slices. Drizzle honey over and garnish with a small piece of the thyme sprig.
Pear, Prosciutto, and Blue Cheese Crostini
Ingredients
- 1 baguette sliced into 24 thin diagonal slices
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2-3 pears sliced into 24 thin slices
- 4 ounces prosciutto very thinly sliced
- 4 ounces blue cheese
- Honey
- 4 thyme sprigs
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the slices of baguette on a baking sheet and lightly coat with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt on top. Bake for 3-4 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown and remove. The slices will start to get firm as they cool.
- Cut the blue cheese into thin ½-inch pieces or into crumbles.
- Cut the prosciutto into thin pieces (24 pieces) to drape over the baked baguette slices (crostini).
- Layer the prosciutto, slices of pear, and blue cheese on each crostini. Drizzle honey over and garnish with a small piece of the thyme sprig. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Variations/Substitutes
Cheese - I know blue cheese isn’t for everyone. You could use sharp cheddar chees, ricotta cheese, or goat cheese.
Garnish - To add some pizzazz to this recipe here are a few other garnish ideas: lemon zest, fresh rosemary, flaky salt, balsamic vinegar, or cracked black pepper.
FAQ
Yes! All you have to do is slices and cover in oil and salt like the instructions above and instead of using the oven, pop them in the air fryer at 375 degrees for 3 minutes. Super easy!
I recommend using ripe so that you have sweet pears to use for this easy pear appetizer.
I do not personally but I found this Prosciutto Cucumber Bites recipe from Kiersten Hickman and it looks amazing!! Basically swapping the crostinis for cucumbers.
This is one of my favorite appetizers because of how easy it is to make and the simple ingredients. Even though it is extremely easy, it feels like a fancy appetizer that pairs well with a holiday meal or special occasion!
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