Buttered pear, brie and manchego toastie with onion crème fraîche
Caramelised rosemary pears pair beautifully with molten brie and manchego, while layers of chilli jam and homemade walnut butter add gentle sweetness and heat to the toastie. Served with a sharp, crunchy bitter leaf salad, this is comfort food with a twist.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
For the buttered pear
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 2 pears, firm, sliced into wedges
For the walnut butter
- 50g of walnuts, toasted
- 1 tbsp of butter
- 1 pinch of salt
For the onion crème
- oil, for frying
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp of Calvados, or white wine
- 100ml of crème fraîche
- salt to season
For the bitter leaf salad
- 1 handful of radicchio leaf
- 1 handful of chicory leaves
- 1 tbsp of pickled walnuts, chopped
- olive oil, to dress
- sherry vinegar, to dress
- salt and pepper to season
For the sandwich
- 4 slices of rye bread, or walnut bread
- chilli jam, as needed
- 100g of brie, sliced
- 50g of manchego cheese, grated
- mayonnaise, as needed
- butter, for frying
Method
For the grilled pear, melt the butter in a pan with rosemary. Once hot, fry the pear wedges in the butter until lightly caramelised, 2–3 minutes per side
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 2 pears, firm, sliced into wedges
For the walnut butter, blend the toasted walnuts with butter and a pinch of salt until smooth
- 50g of walnuts, toasted
- 1 tbsp of butter
- 1 pinch of salt
For the onion crème, heat up a generous dash of oil in a pan. Add the onion and sugar. Cook over a medium low heat for 30-40 minutes until very soft and caramelised. Stir frequently towards the end of cooking to stop it sticking
- oil, for frying
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sugar
Add the Calvados to the pan and scrape up any bits of onion from the bottom of the pan. Let it bubble away, then then stir through the crème fraîche and season to taste with salt
- 1 tbsp of Calvados, or white wine
- 100ml of crème fraîche
- salt to season
For the salad, toss the bitter leaves and pickled walnuts with olive oil and vinegar. Season lightly
- 1 handful of radicchio leaf
- 1 handful of chicory leaves
- 1 tbsp of pickled walnuts, chopped
- olive oil, to dress
- sherry vinegar, to dress
- salt and pepper to season
To assemble the toasties, spread walnut butter on one side of the bread, and chilli jam on the other. Layer the pear, brie and manchego
- 4 slices of rye bread, or walnut bread
- chilli jam, as needed
- 100g of brie, sliced
- 50g of manchego cheese, grated
Close the sandwiches and spread mayonnaise on the outside of the bread
- mayonnaise, as needed
Heat a heavy pan over medium-low heat. Add some butter and, once melted, fry the sandwiches until golden and oozing, around 3–4 minutes per side
- butter, for frying
Cut the toasties in half and plate with the salad and a dollop of onion crème
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