It’s pear season and our two trees have out-produced themselves again this year. We have a young tree, one we bought five years ago. We thought our 75 year old tree would have fallen over by now, so the new tree was to take the place of the older tree. The old girl just doesn’t want to give up and we love her for that. This time of year I pick up pears by the dozens every day and do my best to process them into jams, shrubs, butters, baked goods ~ and just eat as many as we can every day. Running out of ideas, I came across a recipe using them in quesadillas. This is my version. It is one of those things we’ll be making over and over again. It would be fabulous for a brunch or appetizer or lunchbox lunch!
Makes 4 meal-size portions, 4 to 6 sides or hors d’oeuvres for 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
- 4 to 6 slices of good thick cut bacon, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 T butter
- 1 T Extra virgin olive oil, plus more for pan searing quesadillas and for the dressing
- 2 medium sweet onions, peeled and sliced
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- (4) 10 to 12 inch flour tortillas
- 2 medium-size firm organic pears, cored and sliced thin, skin on
- 6 C organic arugula, divided
- 8 oz imported gruyere cheese, grated (you can also use a fontina or sharp white cheddar)
- 4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil for pan searing quesadillas
- 1/2 C Lemon Pear Whole Grain Vinaigrette (recipe below)
- 1/3 C fresh chives for garnish (optional)
Cook bacon to a nice crisp. Drain on paper towel, cut into bite size pieces and set aside until assembly. In a medium size saute’ pan on medium heat, add butter and one tablespoon of olive oil. When butter is melted, add in sliced sweet onions. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 5 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside until assembly. On a parchment lined sheet pan, lay out your four tortillas. Layer equal amounts of sliced pear on one half of each tortilla. Followed by equal amounts of bacon on the same half, top with equal amounts caramelized onion, topped with equal amounts of grated cheese and approximately 1/2 cup arugula on each tortilla. Fold the untopped side of the tortilla over the top of the ingredients. In a large nonstick skillet saute pan on medium heat, drizzle approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil in pan. Place two tortilla halves with folds of each tortilla centered in the middle of pan. Cook for approximately 4 minutes. Watch so not to burn. Flip over. Tortilla should be golden brown. Cook on the other side for 3 to 4 minutes until cheese is melted and tortilla is golden brown. Repeat for the other two filled tortillas. To Serve: cut quesadillas into halves or thirds (thirds are easier to eat). Place on large platter or charcuterie board. Toss arugula in dressing, season with salt and pepper and place directly on the platter along with extra dressing. Garnish entire platter with chives.
WHOLE GRAIN MUSTARD & PEAR VINAIGRETTE
Makes approximately 1 Cup
- 3/4 C extra virgin olive oil
- 4 T fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
- 1/3 C pear jam or pear butter (preferably homemade)
- 2 tsp whole grain mustard
- 1 tsp fresh turmeric, finely grated
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp shallot, minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1-1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
In a medium bowl, add all ingredients and whisk until well incorporated. Keep refrigerated in sealed glass jar for up to one week