Beyond Dessert: Unique Indian Pear-Based Savoury Dishes To Try This September

Yet its gentle sweetness and firm, juicy flesh make it surprisingly useful in savoury cooking. The trick is not to make every dish cast pear as the leading lady. Instead, give the fruit a valid reason to be there. That might mean using pear to mellow the sharpness of spicy masala, balance the saltiness of umami dishes, or simply add freshness and moisture to an otherwise arid tart.

The Indian pear fruit can work with Indian flavours just as naturally as with European cheeses, Middle Eastern spices, East Asian sauces, or basically any global cuisine. And for a September soirée, while pear can be a guest of honour for your party menu, try to imbue your dishes with familiarity along with a dose of intrigue- not too much, but just balanced enough for your guests to go for another bite every now and then.

Pear, Caramelised Onion And Kasundi Tart

This is perhaps the most successful culinary marriage of the lot. Pear and caramelised onion are naturally compatible, but kasundi gives the combination enough mustardy heat to keep it firmly savoury. Plus, the mature cheese unites these flavours in harmony.

Ingredients (Yields 6 to 8)

1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry

2 firm pears

2 large onions, thinly sliced

2 tbsp kasundi

100g mature cheddar or Gruyère, grated

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp brown sugar

½ tsp chilli flakes

1 egg, beaten

Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Method

Heat your butter and oil in a wide frying pan. Now add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook over low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden and soft.

Then add the brown sugar and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat.

Now, heat your oven to 200°C.

Unroll the puff pastry onto a baking tray and score a 1cm border around the edge without cutting through the pastry.

Time to spread the kasundi all over the centre and scatter the caramelised onions and grated cheese.

Core your pears and slice them thinly. Then arrange them over the onions, slightly overlapping.

Sprinkle with chilli flakes and black pepper. Finally, brush the pastry border with beaten egg.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden and the pears have softened at the edges.

Cool for 5–10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Pear, Feta And Methi-Stuffed Phyllo Cigars

This preparation takes the familiar spinach-and-feta pastry into more interesting territory. Pear provides tiny pockets of sweetness against the salty feta and earthy dried fenugreek.

Ingredients (Yields 8 to 10)

2 firm pears, finely diced

150g feta, crumbled

1 tbsp dried kasuri methi

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 tbsp chopped coriander

½ tsp roasted cumin powder

8–10 sheets homemade or store-bought phyllo pastry

50g melted butter

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Black pepper

Method

Put your diced pear in a bowl with feta, kasuri methi, green chilli, coriander, and roasted cumin. Now add black pepper and mix gently.

Then cut each phyllo sheet into long rectangles. Keep the unused sheets covered with a damp kitchen towel so that they do not dry out.

Now brush one rectangle lightly with melted butter. Place a spoonful of filling towards one end, fold the sides in, and roll tightly into a cigar.

Time to roll and repeat with the remaining pastry and filling.

Arrange on a lined baking tray, brush with more butter and scatter your sesame seeds.

Bake at 190°C for 18–22 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Serve warm with a sharp mint-yoghurt dip.

Pear And Roasted Pumpkin Galette With Chilli Butter

A galette is forgiving enough for entertaining and looks far more elaborate than it actually is. Here, pear works almost like another autumn vegetable, mellow in its sweetness and flavours, while goat's cheese and chilli butter provide the savoury contrast.

Ingredients (Yields 6)

1 sheet shortcrust pastry

250g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cut into thin slices

1 firm pear

100g goat's cheese

1 tbsp butter

½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

½ tsp roasted cumin powder

1 tbsp chopped sage or coriander

1 egg

Salt and black pepper

Method

Heat your oven to 200°C.

Now toss your pumpkin with a little salt, black pepper, and oil. Roast for 15 minutes until it is just tender.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and stir in the chilli powder and cumin.

Roll your pastry into a rough circle on a lined baking sheet.

Then arrange the roasted pumpkin over the pastry, leaving a 4cm border. Core and thinly slice the pear and arrange it among the pumpkin pieces.

Crumble and scatter the goat's cheese all over them. Drizzle with the spiced butter and scatter with herbs.

Finally, fold the pastry border loosely over the filling.

Brush the pastry with beaten egg and bake for 30–35 minutes, until deeply golden.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pear, Blue Cheese And Walnut Flatbread With Chilli Honey

This is the one dish where the pear can be a little more visible. Here, the fruit is sweet, the blue cheese is salty and pungent, the walnuts are nutty, slightly bitter and crunchy, while the chilli honey provides just enough heat to tie everything together.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

2 flatbreads or naan

1 firm pear

100g blue cheese

50g mozzarella

2 tbsp walnuts

1 small red onion

1 tbsp honey

½ tsp chilli flakes

Black pepper

A handful of rocket lettuce

Method

Heat your oven to 220°C.

Now thinly slice your pear and red onion.

Then place the flatbreads on a baking tray and scatter the mozzarella cheese all over. Time to add pear, onion, blue cheese, and walnuts.

Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are crisp and the cheese is bubbling.

Also, warm your honey briefly and stir in the chilli flakes.

Finally, remove your flatbreads from the oven and drizzle very lightly with the chilli honey. Finish with black pepper and rocket.

Cut into pieces and serve immediately.

Pear And Tamarind Glazed Paneer Skewers

Instead of putting pear directly into a curry, this preparation uses it as part of a glaze; a much more natural role for a fruit that is blessed with both sweetness and acidity. Tamarind gives the fruit's sweetness a sharp backbone, while paneer provides the savoury, milky counterpoint.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

250g paneer, cut into cubes

1 firm pear

1 tbsp tamarind pulp

1 tbsp jaggery

1 tsp grated ginger

½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

½ tsp roasted cumin powder

1 tbsp oil

Salt

1 small red onion

Fresh coriander

Method

Blend half your pear with tamarind, jaggery, ginger, chilli, cumin, oil, and a pinch of salt.

Now cut the remaining pear into chunks.

Thread paneer, pear, and onion alternately onto skewers.

Brush generously with your tamarind glaze.

Finally, cook the skewers under a hot grill or on a barbecue, turning regularly and brushing with more glaze, until the paneer is lightly charred and the pear has caramelised around the edges.

Finish with coriander and a squeeze of lime, and serve immediately.