Maple Pear Crostini: A Quick and Easy Taste of Fall

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My mom says when she was a girl, she could eat a loaf of Italian bread in one sitting. This, beyond her sense of humor and strong will, is how I know we’re family.

Do you have a love of bread, like your treats slight sweet (and definitely not overbearing), and love the tartness of pears? If so, this crostini recipe has just a touch of maple syrup. Get the details now at Fooda!

It’s not at all uncommon, when driving home from Dominick’s with bread I’ve purchased, for me to tear off a chunk with my hands and bite right in, crumbs falling on my lap and the steering wheel.

Taken out of the oven, with steam slowly escaping, Italian bread cracks along the top and smells like a bakery in the morning, heady with yeast and sweetness.

The golden crust reveals an interior pillow of downy softness and air holes, the foundation of roast beef sandwiches, toast with butter and jam, stuffing, or even a snack of Nutella in the afternoon.

Just a hint of sweetness rounds out these beautifully taste crostini slices. Get the recipe now at Foodal!

Also, Italian bread is the foundation of crostini, which is essentially toasted slices baked with toppings, be they prosciutto with cheese or figs with honey.

For myself, I prefer olive oil and seasonings, cooked until the oil sizzles and the toast crunches. If I’m feeling a little wild, I might rub garlic into the slices before baking.

Lately though, I’ve been challenging my food stereotypes. Spinach can be quiche. I can cook a turkey. Sushi might be worth a try.

The taste of maple syrup mixed with a ripe pear screams fall. Blend that in with Italian bread and crostini and you've got the perfect autumn breakfast. Get the recipe now on Foodal!

So when I contemplated using up the last of some bread this week, it had to be a matter of creativity and invention.

There were s’mores crostini (topped with Nutella, then marshmallows – too sweet, and easily burned), bittersweet chocolate crostini (bleh, needed something more) and apple cinnamon crostini (which I never did get around to).

The winning recipe seemed as odd of a combination as the sandwich I constructed at my work desk a few days ago, a Pepperidge Farm double-chocolate cookie hugged by two saltines – which, if you’re asking, was quite good, in fact.

Looking for a lightly sweetened brunch for a lazy autumn Sunday morning? Check out this scrumptious maple pear crostini recipe. Done in under 25 minutes. Find it now on Foodal!

These crostini are topped by sliced pears marinated with maple syrup (of all things!) and then kissed by crumbled Parmesan cheese. They’re subtle in their sweetness, enough that you’ll eat a few before realizing what’s happened.

Indeed, in the course of making six or so, I ate them all.

Every. Single. One.

I think there might be half a slice waiting for me in the fridge, but not for my lack of wanting it immediately. Rather, after trying several other slices (namely, a few burnt s’mores), my waistline about to burst, I just couldn’t fit anything else in.

Lovely as a finger food appetizer or tasty snack, these little toasts even make a delightful meal, particularly when you eat enough of them and, ahem, you will.

Oblique view of a six maple pear crostini breads on a white ceramic plate on a green wooden background. Fresh Bartlett and red pears sit to the right | Foodal

Quick note: Christmas is coming! So are more cookies, I promise. The many, many I have baked already are viewable here, and you won’t go wrong with any of them.

Although, if I had to pick, I might say the rosemary and the chocolate chip… Okay, also the goofy cowboy ones could be called favorites. Still, my favorite, favorite recipes are yet to come, so stay tuned!.

The Recipe

Oblique close up of a batch of maple pear crostini on a white ceramic platter sitting on a green wooden table | Foodal
Maple Pear Crostini
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Looking for a quick and easy breakfast or brunch that has all the flavor of autumn? If so, be sure to check out this super yummy maple pear crostini recipe.
Servings Prep Time
6 slices 10 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
12 minutes 12 minutes
Servings Prep Time
6 slices 10 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
12 minutes 12 minutes
Oblique close up of a batch of maple pear crostini on a white ceramic platter sitting on a green wooden table | Foodal
Maple Pear Crostini
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Looking for a quick and easy breakfast or brunch that has all the flavor of autumn? If so, be sure to check out this super yummy maple pear crostini recipe.
Servings Prep Time
6 slices 10 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
12 minutes 12 minutes
Servings Prep Time
6 slices 10 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
12 minutes 12 minutes
Ingredients
  • 6 slices Italian bread
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 pears slightly ripened, sliced thin
  • 2/3 cup maple syrup (approximate)
  • 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese (as needed)
Servings: slices
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place bread slices on a greased cookie sheet or one lined with a Silpat, and butter each slice.
  2. Once oven is heated, put slices in and toast them for about 12 minutes.
  3. In a small dish, toss pear slices with maple syrup and let soak for a while, maybe 10 minutes or so.
  4. Remove bread from the oven and lay pear slices on top. Crumble a bit of Parmesan cheese over that.
  5. Broil these in the oven for about 10 minutes. The pear will be tender and soft, and the cheese will have browned.

Nutritional Info*

Nutrition Facts
Maple Pear Crostini
Amount Per Serving
Calories 348 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 32mg 11%
Sodium 607mg 25%
Potassium 218mg 6%
Total Carbohydrates 47g 16%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 24g
Protein 13g 26%
Vitamin A 3%
Vitamin C 6%
Calcium 36%
Iron 7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep

Prep your ingredients. Use a good quality serrated bread knife to carve off six thick slices of French bread.

Oblique view of partially sliced loaf of Italian bread and a serrated bread knife | Foodal

Wash your fruit thoroughly. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut thin slices from each pear.

Close up of a group of bartlett pears being sliced | Foodal

When you get towards the center, you can remove the core and stem area at the bottom of the fruit with a paring knife or the tip of your chef’s knife.

Oblique view showing various ingredients for the recipe or mise in place | Foodal

Lay out all of your prepared ingredients, so your mise en place is ready to go.

Step 2 – Toast the Bread

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place bread slices on a buttered cookie sheet or one lined with a Silpat. Toast the bread for 10 to 15 minutes.

Front view of a Cuisinart toaster oven toasting bread slices | Foodal
I’m using a Cuisinart 260N1 Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven, which we positively reviewed here.

Or, feel free to use a premium toaster oven to get the same effect in three or four minutes.

Step 3 – Add the Syrup

Place the pears to a small bowl and slowly add the maple syrup, ensuring full coverage. Let soak for around 10 minutes.

Top down view of bartlett pears sliced into thin pieces | Foodal

Step 4 – Cheese It Up

Place the toast on a buttered cookie sheet, or one lined with a Silpat or another type of silicone liner.

 

Close up shot of crostini on a Silpat silicone baking mat on a cookie sheet | Foodal

Layer three to four slices of pear onto each bread slice. Drizzle on any remaining maple syrup from the bowl and then sprinkle on a generous amount of Parmesan cheese.

Step 5 – Broil

Broil for in the oven for 10 minutes or so, until you see the cheese start to turn a nice crusty brown in spots. Your pear slices will soften and the syrup will infuse itself into the rest of the ingredients.

Close up of baked crostini on a Silpat baking mat on a cookie sheet | Foodal

As a finishing touch (purely optional), microwave two tablespoons of salted butter and lightly drizzle over the top.

Plate and serve warm or room temperature and watch the smiles appear around the table. An easy-peasy lazy weekend breakfast or brunch whipped up in no time at all.

Oblique close up of a batch of maple pear crostini on a white ceramic platter sitting on a green wooden table | Foodal

What about you? Do you have any scrumptious crostini topping suggestions? Let’s hear them in the comments below! Or try some of our other favorite variations:

And don’t forget to check out all of our dessert and breakfast recipes for other great food ideas.


Don’t forget to Pin It!

Looking for a quick and easy breakfast or brunch that has all the flavors of autumn? If so, be sure to check out this super yummy maple pear crostini recipe. Have an easy dessert-like meal or snack on the table in 20 minutes or less.

Photos by Mike Quinn, © Foodal / Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published December 5th, 2008 by Shanna Mallon. Revised and updated November 8th, 2017, with additional writing by Mike Quinn.

*Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Shanna Mallon

Shanna Mallon is a freelance writer who holds an MA in writing from DePaul University. Her work has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including The Kitchn, Better Homes & Gardens, Taste of Home, Houzz.com, Foodista, Entrepreneur, and Ragan PR. In 2014, she co-authored The Einkorn Cookbook with her husband, Tim. Today, you can find her digging into food topics and celebrating the everyday grace of eating on her blog, Go Eat Your Bread with Joy. Shanna lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with Tim and their two small kids.

10 thoughts on “Maple Pear Crostini: A Quick and Easy Taste of Fall”

  1. Your blog always makes me hungry! All that talk of the downy softness inside Italian bread, and then you had to go and mention Nutella too!

    Reply
  2. Pear, maple syrup and broiled parmesan did sound like an odd combination. But I loved it. Particularly when i have some overripe pears.

    I am glad you liked it too. Thanks for the mention.

    Reply
  3. This recipe sounds ridiculously DELICIOUS! I would never guess it but all those different flavors, the subtlety of the sweet pears, the in your face of the maple syrup, the salt from the cheese…holy flavor! Sounds amazing. so, so GOOD!

    And, for me, it’s the French bread. I can eat a baguette in record time. mmm!!

    Reply
  4. Elizabeth: What a nice thing to say. If there’s one thing I want, it’s for you to leave hungry when reading here (although not when coming to my house, then I want you to leave full, but that’s a different story). 🙂

    Amy: It’s totally new to me, but I like!

    Suganya: Thank YOU!

    Chessa: LOL. Oooh baguettes are another favorite! As for your site, your photographs are always (!) so oh-my-gosh gorgeous, I hardly notice anything else… but I’m glad to know you’re going through designs, too. You have such a great eye.

    Reply
  5. Thanks, foodphotoblog.com, and thanks for leaving a comment so I’d know about your site. Very cool, and I submitted a few shots.

    Olga: While many of my food prejudices have died, goat cheese is not one of them. Small steps. 🙂

    Reply

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