Grilled Pears Wrapped in Proscuitto

July 9, 2010



My cup runneth over this past month.  I felt so lucky this Father’s Day to be able to celebrate with the 2 best papas on the planet: my hubs and my Daddy-O. My folks live an hour away from us and visit once a week; a girl can’t really ask for more, can she? Well, okay, I’d really love one of those electronic maids like they had on The Jetsons, but besides that, I’m pretty set.

Usually on holidays, I opt to serve a late celebratory lunch. That way, nobody has to rush in the morning, and nobody’s going to have to drive home, stuffed and sated, in the dark. This year was no exception.

We opted for a simple meal of caramelized onion burgers, coleslaw, sliced tomatoes and Kettle Chips; however, I had to gussy something up for the occasion, so I picked a fancy little appetizer to whet our whistle while the grill heated.

I wanted to use peaches for this appetizer, but they’re not quite *there* yet in our neck of the woods, so I opted for Anjou pears. A quick wrap in salty prosciutto, a brief turn on the grill, and a shower of balsamic syrup, and you’re done. But here’s the thing–something this simple really tastes sophisticated–like something you’ve worked on for hours.  The grill softens the pear until it’s sweet and supple, and the salty char of the prosciutto gives a smoky edge, and topped with some sweet/savory balsamic love? Bliss.

Try this one at your next get-together. People will swoon. It would also make a lovely lunch dish, served over a bed of mixed greens. With some nice crisp Pinot Grigio, if you are really lucky.

A little aside: In the midst of the holiday ruckus, I forgot to put away the balsamic syrup after we’d drizzled it over our appetizers. I discovered the pitcher on the patio, many hours later, and there was a gaggle of drowned mosquitoes floating in there.  So if you have a skeeter problem, I suggest that you make up a big batch of this balsamic glaze, put out several bowls of it, and hey! Instant  pest control! Balsamic syrup=Mosquito Kryptonite. Who knew?

Grilled Pears Wrapped in Prosciutto with Balsamic Reduction

serves 6

3 Anjou pears, ripe but still firm

6 slices Prosciutto di Parma, cut in half

drizzle of lemon juice

Balsamic Reduction:

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

For reduction: Whisk sugar and balsamic together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook until  mixture is thickened and syrupy, about 15 minutes. Cool.

For pears: Heat grill to medium-high. Core pears and cut each pear into 4 pieces. Drizzle pears with lemon juice to prevent browning. Wrap each piece tightly in prosciutto, pressing to adhere. Grill pears on direct medium heat, 2-3 minutes a side. Remove from grill. Drizzle with balsamic reduction.

{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }

Lyndsey July 9, 2010 at 6:49 am

Now that sounds like a perfect “gussied” up dish! Can I come for lunch?

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Erica@PinesLakeRedhead July 9, 2010 at 6:50 am

Oh my gosh. I started drooling at the title.

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girlichef July 9, 2010 at 7:08 am

Nice…I can almost taste it. And I’m diggin’ the mosquito cryptonite…I wish I had some on the 4th…Zod had an army attacking us that night! Wait, was Zod’s weakness cryptonite, too..I can’t remember. Anyhoo…awesome flavors…love the extra layer of caramelization with the grill marks…NOM! ;)

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jessica July 9, 2010 at 7:12 am

MMMM – we love grilled peaches around here – add proscuitto and we just might be in heaven.

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Bryan July 9, 2010 at 7:38 am

I absolutely LOVE proscuitto! and added to fruit it just can’t be beat the salty/sweet combo gets me every time. Thanks for the skeeter trap recipe too do you have one for wasps? ;~)

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Phoo-d July 9, 2010 at 8:00 am

The mosquitos are everywhere this year! We have swarms and they even resist the bug repellent. Ugh. This appetizer sounds perfectly lovely. What a great idea for a special occasion!

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C @ Kid Things July 9, 2010 at 10:23 am

It’s of my opinion that anything wrapped in prosciutto will taste good, kind of like bacon.

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Sherri July 9, 2010 at 10:42 am

What can I say? Except …… Yummage!!!!!!!!

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Cheryl @ Mommypants July 9, 2010 at 12:55 pm

My husband – and son – would love this!

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Amber July 9, 2010 at 1:48 pm

My stomach totally growled.

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The Curious Cat July 9, 2010 at 2:04 pm

I’m definitely bookmarking this and using it in the South of France – sounds delicious!!! xxx

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Wendi @ Bon Appetit Hon July 9, 2010 at 7:58 pm

Kitch, I seriously need you to plan my next dinner party.

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theUngourmet July 9, 2010 at 11:02 pm

I could have used that balsamic glaze today at Blue Lake Park. The mosquitoes were swarming! My daughter’s arm looks like a war zone!

Mmm! I love grilled fruit but I’ve never tried pears. I can imagine they are crazy good! Will definitely be trying this!

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Linda @ bar mitzvahzilla July 10, 2010 at 12:01 am

Wait, TKW, let me get this straight. This was your SIMPLE, thrown together meal, right? Man, I am feeling the pressure. My simple, thrown together meal still involves the microwave…

(hey, just FYI on a bloggy matter, but is there any way to set your controls on the new blog design to recognize your visitors? Because every time I come here I have to input the whole shtick – name, email, and website. Just saying’.)

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Romaine July 10, 2010 at 4:45 am

I like your idea about a late lunch. And this sounds perfect to make it all a little special. The caramelized onion burgers sound good too. Have you published that recipe?

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Maria July 10, 2010 at 5:54 am

Sounds scrumptious! And thanks for the heads up regarding the skeeters!

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marla {family fresh cooking} July 10, 2010 at 6:00 am

You are so right prosciutto and pear is a great combo. I too would love them over a giant green salad. The sweet/savory thing is always a winner in my book :)

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Velva July 10, 2010 at 11:47 am

Perfect dish, that is still simple to prepare but looks sophisticated.

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Camilla July 11, 2010 at 1:26 am

What a great combo, I wouldn’t of thought of it, so thanks for the heads up!
Great to hear you had a fabulous family day TKW

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Chiara July 11, 2010 at 2:07 am

Pears and prosciutto are two of my favorite ingredients… I’ll have to make these now that Tommy isn’t here yet since he’s deadly allergic to pears =(

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grace July 11, 2010 at 2:47 am

balsamic vinegar automatically bumps up the class factor–that’s just the truth. i’ve never had a grilled pear, but it seems like an elegant and delicious idea–way to get fancy, tkw!

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Emily July 11, 2010 at 9:32 am

What an interesting idea! It sounds like it would have such a unique flavor, with the fruit and the proscuitto!

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Jane July 11, 2010 at 10:08 am

I love pears but I love peaches more. So, if you don’t mind – I’m going to make the switch. These sound yummy either way!

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Gibby July 15, 2010 at 7:16 pm

I’m am LOVING the mosquito poison! I swear, mosquitos are attracted to me like flies on shit. It sort of sucks.

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Delirium what that

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