Pear & Brie Quesadillas
The following recipe and photography was provided by recipe developer and food photographer, Ashley Durand of Plate & Pen.
Harvest season is upon us and I’m craving all of the foods associated with it!
When we think of fall, we often think of fresh apples, but September is actually the start of pear season! I couldn’t miss the opportunity to use these fresh-grown fruits in the kitchen.
Fruit is always a staple in my breakfast and brunch spreads, so I chose to include fresh pears from Heinen’s Produce Department in a sweet spin on the classic quesadilla.
Stuffed with Heinen’s luscious triple crème brie and juicy pears, this recipe gets true gourmet flair from lemon ricotta pancake “tortillas.” The combination of flavors is mouthwatering. If you’re short on time or not as comfortable in the kitchen, feel free to use regular tortillas instead.
Let’s get to it!
Pear & Brie Quesadillas
Servings: 4-5 Quesadillas
Ingredients
For the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 cup ricotta (low-fat or whole)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1-2 Tbsp. lemon zest
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. butter, melted
For the Pear & Brie Filling
- 2-3 ripe pears, peeled, halved vertically, halved again and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1 wheel Heinen's triple crème brie
- Heinen's almond butter
- Heinen's balsamic fig glaze, for topping
Instructions
For the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Preheat a griddle or pan over medium-high heat.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt for 20 seconds.
- Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, ricotta, eggs and vanilla until well blended.
- Add the butter, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix to combine.
- Immediately pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk to create the pancake batter.
- Pour the batter on the griddle into the shape of circular pancakes. Make sure they are all the same size because they will be layered in twos later.
- Once cooked, set the pancakes aside on a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. This recipe yields 8-10 pancakes, which, when layered, will create 4-5 “tortillas.”
For the Pear & Brie Filling
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the paper from the wheel of brie and bake for 15 minutes.
- While the brie is baking, sauté the sliced pears in a skillet with butter for about 25 minutes.
- Remove the brie and set it aside to cool slightly after piercing top with a knife.
- With 10 minutes left on the pears, toss in the cinnamon and brown sugar.
- Set the pears aside and prepare to build quesadillas with the pancakes. If the pancakes are are luke-warm or cold, toss them back on a warm skillet after building the quesadillas.
- To build the quesadillas, layer two pancakes on top of each other and spread on a couple tablespoons of almond butter.
- Add your desired amount of cooked pears.
- Quickly spoon the melted brie over the pears, then fold the layered pancake tortillas in half to create the quesadilla shape.
- Repeat steps 6-8 until all of the pancake tortillas have been used.
- Once assembled, reheat the quesadillas on the skillet for a few minutes.
- Drizzle lightly with balsamic fig glaze and enjoy!
