It’s fresh pear season around here, although my favorite variety—the Comice—arrives a bit later. No fruit is a better friend to cheese, in my view. The juicy, honeyed flavor and melting texture of a ripe pear is so compatible with pecorino, blue cheese, and fresh cheeses like ricotta. Italians even have a proverb about the pairing: Al contadino non far sapere quant’è buono il cacio con le pere. Don’t tell the farmer how good cheese is with his pears. Like most proverbs, there’s more to this saying than meets the eye.
According to Massimo Montanari, an Italian Medievalist and food historian who wrote a whole book on this rhyming proverb, it reflects centuries-old class divisions. Farmers cultivated delicacies like pears for the upper crust; they needed to sell all the fruit they grew to survive. (My Calabrian friend, Rosetta Costantino, told me that’s why Calabrians have traditionally made fresh pasta without eggs.) The proverb reflects another condescending notion that prevailed in times past, writes Montanari (and arguably still today)—that good taste is defined by the wealthy. Peasants wouldn’t discover this pleasurable pairing unless the élite enlightened them.
Some Italians use the proverb to suggest that if you tell someone how good their product is, they’ll raise the price. Given what the pear grower at my local farmers’ market already charges for her sought-after fruit, I hope no one tells her they’re even better with pecorino.
Take advantage of pear season to explore the pecorino selection at your favorite cheese counter. Pictured above: Il Novo Pecorino Fresco (left), a young, mild organic sheep cheese from Tuscany; and Ma-Trù Pecorino Amatriciano, a robust aged wheel from the Lazio region.
Port-Glazed Pears
Photo: Victoria Pearson
As these poached pears rest in their Port poaching syrup, they turn a rich garnet color. I served them halved, sliced and fanned with some of the ruby syrup, with blue cheese alongside. Adapted from The Cheese Course by Janet Fletcher (Chronicle Books).
1 cup ruby Port
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
4 strips lemon zest
2 ripe but firm pears
1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 to 8 ounces Stilton cheese
In a small saucepan, bring the Port, water, sugar and lemon zest to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. While the mixture heats, peel the pears. Add the pears to the simmering liquid, setting them on their sides. Cover with a round of parchment paper that just fits over the pears, tucking the parchment around them. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook 15 minutes.
Lift the parchment and turn the pears over in the liquid so they cook evenly. Replace the cover and continue cooking until they are just tender when pierced, 10 to 12 more minutes. Remember that they will continue to cook as they cool.
Transfer the pears with a slotted spoon to a refrigerator container. Simmer the poaching liquid over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup. Cool completely, then add the lemon juice. Pour over the pears, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Turn the pears in the syrup every couple of hours so they develop a deep burgundy color.
To serve, cut the pears in half lengthwise and core with a melon baller. Lay cut side down on a cutting board. Slice thinly lengthwise but leave the slices attached at the stem end. Gently press on the pear halves to fan the slices. Put a generous tablespoon of Port syrup on each of 4 dessert plates. With a metal spatula, transfer a pear fan to each plate, placing it over the sauce. Put a slice of Stilton on each plate.
Serves 4
Honey-Roasted Pears
Choose pears that are perhaps a day away from full ripeness; perfectly ripe pears will be too soft for this method. A melon baller cores them easily, and parchment paper keeps them from browning as they cook. Adapted from The Cheese Course by Janet Fletcher (Chronicle Books). Serve with ricotta, pecorino or blue cheese.
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons honey
1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in small pieces
1/4 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
2 large pears, ripe but firm
1/2 lemon
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Put the wine, honey, butter and pepper in a shallow non-reactive baking dish, such as a glass or ceramic pie pan. Peel the pears, halve and core. Rub with the lemon half to prevent browning. Put the pear halves cut side down in the baking dish. Cover with a round of parchment paper, tucking the paper loosely around the pears.
Bake until the pears are just tender when pierced, 15 to 30 minutes, depending on ripeness. Do not overcook or they will be mushy. Carefully transfer the pears to another platter with a metal spatula. Pour the baking juices into a saucepan and reduce over high heat to 1/4 cup.
Serve the pears warm, not hot. Just before serving, put each pear half on a cutting board, cut side down. Thinly slice lengthwise, leaving the slices attached at the narrow end. Transfer with a spatula to dessert plates. Gently press on the pear to fan the slices. Spoon 1 tablespoon of baking juices over each pear.
Serves 4
