My friend, Kevin, sent me a cookbook year ago by a chef out of London name Yotam Ottolenghi. I have been a fan every since!

Now the proud owner of a few more of his cookbooks, I have some go-to recipes of his that never fail to wow my guests.

One of them is a pear goat cheese crostini that I serve as an appetizer. It’s a wonderful blend of flavors and textures, and now you can make it too!

Here is what you will need:

1/4 cup pine nuts
5 tbsps EVOO
1 clove of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
4-5 large slices of sourdough bread
3 semi-ripe pears (unpeeled)
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
4 oz goat cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. Place pine nuts, 4 tbsps EVOO, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until combined.

3. Lay out your sourdough bread on a sheet pan in a single layer, and top each piece with the pine nut/garlic paste.

4. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

5. While the bread is in the oven, cut up your pears into 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices.

6. In a bowl big enough for all the pears, mix together the lemon juice, the remaining 1 tbsp of EVOO, the sugar, and another pinch of salt. Pour the pears into the bowl and toss until they are all covered.

7. Either use your BBQ or take a ridged griddle pan and place it on high heat over the stove. Cook the pear slices for 1-2 minutes per side, getting beautiful grill marks on each side as they cook.

8. To assemble, place the pears in a single layer on top of the bread, and then sprinkle with goat cheese.

Serve warm.

Here are some of Yotam’s cookbooks: