I have Fall on my mind and the promise of cooler weather and all the eats that come along with the change of seasons. This beautiful Puff Pastry with Pears, Gorgonzola and Walnuts is a perfect recipe to kickoff the start of the Fall season. The official start of Fall is September 22nd but you wouldn’t know; it’s 100+ degrees in Los Angeles today. Feels like Fall weather is far away…but we know it’s peaking around the corner.
This beautiful savory puff pastry is easy and elegant. It’s a beautiful starter or a great addition to a charcuterie board. It has the sweetness of ripe pear, the saltiness of gorgonzola and the earthiness of walnuts and roasted walnut oil. I serve it with simply dressed arugula for a peppery finish and a drizzle of raw honey. It’s a perfect match.
Preparing Puff Pastry with Pears Gorgonzola and Walnuts
Preheat the oven to 425°.
This is a snap to prepare: Defrost puff pastry to package instructions, about 20 minutes. Once it’s ready to work with, roll the dough to fit an 13″ x 18″ (half sheet) rimmed sheet pan. Be sure to line your sheet pan with parchment first or use a non stick baking mat.
Roll out dough roughly the size of half sheet pan. Top and bake!
Once your dough is rolled and into your pan, it’s time for the toppings. I use La Tourangelle Roasted Walnut Oil and lightly brush on the dough. Next, the thinly sliced pears, onions and top with gorgonzola, walnuts and a few leaves of fresh Thyme. I add a pinch of salt and pepper and a tiny bit more roasted walnut oil. You can opt for using an egg wash for the edges..this will produce a more browned, golden shine. I’ll be honest, sometimes I use it and sometimes I don’t.
Bake for about 20 minutes. The pastry will be done when it’s puffed and golden.
Substitutions
You can customize this to your liking. I love flavored oils and the taste of Walnut Oil is one of my top faves. You can substitute with something flavorful like Hazelnut Oil or even something herbal like Basil Oil. I like the sharp taste of red onions on this to layer flavors of the sharp Gorgonzola cheese and onion with the earthiness of walnuts. Red pears are the sweetest especially in season and pairs well, (didn’t mean that 😂) with the buttery, flaky pastry. What other cheeses work with this? Some creamy Brie, Gruyere, even some Extra sharp cheddar. Any pear will work, but make sure it’s ripe. Very thinly sliced apples would be amazing on this as well. Don’t like Walnuts? Try Pecans, Hazelnuts, Macadamia Nuts or Pine nuts. This is truly a clean slate to make your work of art. As I mentioned before, I top mine with simply dressed Arugula, but you can use baby greens, micro greens, or spinach.
And here you have a beautiful, savory Puff Pastry with Pears, Gorgonzola and Walnuts!
Enjoy!!
If you love Puff pastry and looking for a sweet treat, check out our Easy Apple Pie Puff recipe, these are so tasty!
Inspired by this recipe? Make sure to mention us or tag us on Instagram. All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
Puff pastry with Pears Gorgonzola and Walnuts
Equipment
- half sheet rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry
- 1 whole red pear sliced vertically
- 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced, you only need a few rings of the onion
- 1/8 cup walnuts chopped
- 1 tbsp roasted walnut oil 2 tsp for the pastry and 1 tsp for drizzle
- 1/2 cup gorgonzola crumbled
- 1 tbsp honey raw
- 3 cups arugula see notes for dressing
- 1 sprig Thyme, fresh leaves only
- 1 whole egg white only
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Defrost puff pastry to package instructions.
- Line your sheet pan parchment paper
- Roll the dough to fit an 13″ x 18″ (half sheet) rimmed sheet pan
- Once your dough is rolled and into your pan, it’s time for the toppings.
- Brush the dough lightly with Roasted walnut oil.
- Add the thinly sliced pears and onions.
- Top with gorgonzola, walnuts and a few leaves of fresh Thyme.
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Drizzle a tiny amount of roasted walnut oil on top.
- In a small bowl, whisk egg and water.
- Using a pastry brush, brush egg white mixture onto the edges of the puff pastry. This will give you a golden brown sheen.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden. Remove from oven.
- Place on a platter and drizzle with raw honey.
- Cut into 8 wedges.
- Serve with lightly dressed arugula on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
For more small bites, try our Grilled Baby Peppers with Mozzarella or Whipped Feta and Yogurt Dip.
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