Three ways to cook with September's seasonal pears

There are more ways to enjoy pears than one might think – here are a few seasonal recipes to enjoy the autumn fruit

Grilled pear and pickled walnuts with cheddar on toast by Nathan Outlaw

1 tbsp of English mustard
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp walnut malt vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed to a paste
sea salt to season
black pepper to season
100ml of rapeseed oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 pears, firm and ripe
4 pickled walnuts, finely chopped
150g of cheddar, grated
8 slices of sourdough bread
2 handfuls of rocket

To begin the grilled pears, preheat the grill to a medium to high heat. Make the dressing by adding the mustard, lemon juice, walnut vinegar, garlic, salt and black pepper. Whisk together and slowly add the oil. Reserve until required.

Take a grill tray, drizzle a little oil over it and season the tray with salt and pepper. Peel and slice the pears across widthways. Lay them on the tray and gently grill them for 2 minutes​.

Remove the pears and then toast one side of the bread. Turn the bread over and lay the pears onto the bread, followed by a few pieces of walnut and cheese. Return to the grill until the cheese is golden. Serve topped with a handful of rocket and drizzled with the dressing.

Butternut squash, pear and gorgonzola flatbread tart by Adam Byatt

Bread base

250g of strong white flour
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp sea salt
13g of dried yeast
150ml of water, cold
1 dash of olive oil

Topping

1/2 butternut squash, peeled and finely sliced
3 pears, peeled and finely sliced
150g of Gorgonzola
1 tsp plain flour
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
100g of rocket
2 dashes of olive oil

To make the bread, add the flour to a large bowl with the sugar, salt and yeast. Using your hands, mix to incorporate the ingredients and warm up the flour a little​.

Make a well in the flour and gradually add the water and a dash of olive oil, mixing as you go. Turn out onto a work surface and knead until a smooth dough forms​. Line a large bowl with cling film and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, for up to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 240°C/gas mark 9 (or as high as it will go). Turn the risen dough onto a floured work surface and knock back, kneading the dough for 5 minutes or so until all of the air has been kneaded out.

Roll the dough out into a 1cm thick circle - this may take some time. Crumble small pieces of the cheese all around the outside of the dough, then fold in the edges so that you have a crust with the cheese inside​.

Transfer to a large ovenproof frying pan (or a baking sheet) and arrange the butternut squash and pear on the base. Dust with flour, drizzle with a little olive oil and scatter the thyme over the tart. Leave the pan near the oven for 20 minutes. The warmth from the oven preheating will provide enough heat to let the dough prove a little more.

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes until cooked through completely - the base should lift easily away from the middle of the pan. Allow to cool slightly then drizzle the rocket with olive oil and scatter over the top of the tart. Slice and serve immediately.

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Roast Jersey Royals with glazed pear, Roquefort cheese and walnut salad by Shaun Rankin

Jersey Royals

225g of Jersey Royal potatoes, cooked and cut in half
2 pears, peeled and cut into wedges
28g of caster sugar
1 knob of butter
1 handful of walnuts
olive oil

To serve

1 knob of Roquefort cheese
1 handful of baby watercress

In a frying pan, heat a little olive oil and sauté the cooked Jersey Royals until golden brown, remove and keep warm​.

In the same pan, add a little more oil and sauté the pears until they start to turn brown. Sprinkle with caster sugar and watch carefully as the sugar starts to caramelise, moving the pears so they do not burn. Finish the pears with a knob of butter, then stir in the walnuts.

Arrange the warm Jersey Royals, glazed pears and walnuts on four small plates. Crumble over a little Roquefort cheese and scatter with a little watercress. Pour some of the pan juices over the top of the salad as a dressing.

Recipes courtesy of Great British Chefs. Visit their site for more perfect pear recipes