Pears and blue cheese are great plate mates, especially with a drizzle of honey and smattering of chopped walnuts, but pears and parmesan are equally as delicious. Try serving them at the end of a a rich meal, and if you have a drop of red wine left to go with the match, it’ll be even better. Buy parmigiano reggiano, not an imposter, and buy a smooth fleshed pear rather than the varieties with gritty textures (read all about pear varieties here). Ripen the pears to the point of perfection and serve with generous chunks of parmesan. The parmesan is a joy on its own, no doubt about that, but the pear brings out the cheese’s fruity flavour to the fore, then the pear juice washes away the salty piquancy. Nice. You’ll want more parmesan. And more pear. You can add to this with a handful of toasted hazelnuts, or drizzle with a little honey if you want a sweeter combination.
Pear & parmesan (Taylor’s Gold pear)
Pears front right Packham lying down, to the left and behind, Honey Belle, Taylor’s Gold behind the Packham pear and the 2 large brown pears beurre bosc
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