Move Over Apples: Pears are the New Star of Fall

Apples are the true favorite fruit of fall, and with good reason. If you live in the Midwest, there's ample access to apple picking, and you can find a wide variety of fresh, crisp flavors at local farmers markets. There are festivals to celebrate all things apple such as this weekend's Apple Fest in Lincoln Square. Here at The Chopping Block, our chefs will be busy baking hundreds of pies for that fest and our bloggers have shared countless apple recipes, from a German apple cake to puff pastry apple rings, in the past few weeks. So it's safe to say... we've definitely got apples on the brain!

But there's another fall fruit that I feel gets lost in the apple's spotlight: pears. 

Pears are typically in season from late summer through early winter, depending on the variety. Most common varieties, like Bartlett, Anjou, and Bosc, are harvested between August and October, though some, like Comice and Royal Verano, can be available through December.

I was recently gifted a box of Royal Verano pears from a friend before a party I was hosting so I knew they would be put to good use. 

Royal Verano pears are a premium variety known for their juicy, sweet, and buttery texture. They are larger and smoother than many other pear varieties, with a golden-yellow skin that sometimes has a slight blush. Often regarded as a delicacy, these pears are typically available during the winter months and are popular in gourmet gift baskets (like mine from Harry & David!). Royal Verano pears are prized for their rich flavor and tenderness.

These pears are versatile, perfect as a snack, just halved and cored and eaten with a spoon, added to salads, desserts or served with cheese. You could also poach them for an elegant dessert or roast them for salads or to serve as another delicious snack on their own. 

My pears came in a cardboard box and individually wrapped, so you will want to unwrap each pear so it can ripen. Store the box with the lid on at room temperature, and check them daily for ripeness. It took about five days after arrival for my pears to become perfectly ripe. You'll know when the flesh at the base of the stem yields slightly to gentle pressure. Once the pears are ripe, move them to the fridge for storage. They should last for up to 10 days there. 

Since I had such an abundance of pears, I decided to switch up a classic TCB recipe and make a grilled fruit cobbler as the dessert for my evening of entertaining friends. I swapped out peaches for pears in this recipe, and the combination of pears and blueberries was absolutely delicious! Now that blueberries are going out of season, you could substitute apples, persimmons or even cranberries for them and make this dessert all fall and winter long! And if it gets too cold for you to grill it outdoors, just bake it in the oven at 350°F for the same amount of time. 

BBQ Baked Pear-Blueberry Cobbler 

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Yield: 10 servings 

Prep time: 30 minutes 

Cook time: 45 minutes

Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes 

For the biscuit topping: 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon baking powder  

2 tablespoons granulated sugar 

1 1/4 cups heavy cream 

For the filling: 

5 cups pears (5 large pears), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices 

3 cups blueberries (or use another seasonal fruit)

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/4 cup all-purpose flour or cornstarch 

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

Juice of half a lemon 

Pinch salt 

2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing the tops of the biscuits 

Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, as needed 

1. Preheat a grill for indirect cooking at around 350°. 

2. For the topping, combine all of the dry ingredients, and then stir in the cream. It should make a stiff dough. If the dough is dry, add more cream a teaspoon at a time. Set aside. 

3. Combine all filling ingredients and place in a generously buttered 12-inch cast-iron pan.  

4. Pinch off small balls of biscuit dough and dot them over the top of fruit. Brush the dough generously with melted butter.  

5. Place the dish on the grill so it is not directly over the heat source. Close the cover of the grill and bake until filling is bubbling throughout and top is golden, 35 to 45 minutes. Rotate the dish once or twice during baking to ensure even cooking. 

6. Serve warm or room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream.  

Note: If using a 10-inch cast iron skillet which is more common than the 12-inch skillet I used, reduce the amount of pears to 4 cups and blueberries to 2 cups. Cut the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon and you may only need 1/2 cup of sugar, depending on how sweet your fruit is. Of course, this size of cobbler will feed closer to 6-8 people. 

Although summer technically just ended, there is still lots of grilling to be done this season! Check out some of the other fabulous grilled desserts you can learn how to make in one of our October grilling classes:

• Hands-On Italian Surf and Turf on the Patio on Friday, October 4 at 6pm featuring Grilled Oranges with Whipped Mascarpone and Honey-Mint Syrup  
• Hands-On Fall Feast on the Patio on Saturday, October 12 at 6pm featuring Wood-Fired Pumpkin-Cinnamon Bread Pudding 

And of course, we'll let apples have their day(s) this weekend! Join us at Apple Fest in Lincoln Square for two days of celebration. Stop by our booth for a slice of our famous Apple Pie, Right Bee Cider hard cider, a fun new canned apple cocktail and a new non-alcoholic apple cider option. 

Also new this year, we are offering hands-on Bake and Take classes where you can learn how to make our famous apple pie yourself and bring it home to share. We have three different sessions to choose from:

• Friday, October 4 10am
• Saturday, October 5 10am
• Sunday, October 6 10am

If you want our chefs to handle the pies for you, you can pre-order your whole apple pies that come in a 10-inch Lodge cast iron skillet which is yours to keep (and use on your grill for a fruit cobbler, hint, hint!). Pick up your pies during the fest on either Saturday, October 5 or Sunday, October 6. It's best way to bring home the most delicious apple dessert being offered at the fest! 

Yield: 10

Author: The Chopping Block

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BBQ Baked Pear-Blueberry Cobbler

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

Ingredients

For the biscuit topping

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing the tops of the biscuits

For the filling

• 5 cups pears (5 large pears), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 3 cups blueberries (or use another seasonal fruit)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or cornstarch
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• Juice of half a lemon
• Pinch salt

For garnish

• Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat a grill for indirect cooking at around 350°.
2. For the topping, combine all of the dry ingredients, and then stir in the cream. It should make a stiff dough. If the dough is dry, add more cream a teaspoon at a time. Set aside.
3. Combine all filling ingredients and place in a generously buttered 10-inch cast-iron pan.
4. Pinch off small balls of biscuit dough and dot them over the top of fruit. Brush the dough generously with melted butter.
5. Place the dish on the grill so it is not directly over the heat source. Close the cover of the grill and bake until filling is bubbling throughout and top is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Rotate the dish once or twice during baking to ensure even cooking.
6. Serve warm or room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream.

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