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Caramelised pears and chestnuts

Name: Caramelised pears and chestnuts
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 6-8
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: 50g butter; 1 onion, roughly chopped; 4 firm pears, peeled and cut into wedges; ½ tbsp caster sugar; 400g peeled and cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped; 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs; Juice of 1 lemon (optional)

Published: 30 Nov 12
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Try an alternative accompaniment for your Christmas turkey with this make-ahead sweet, mellow pear and chestnut side dish recipe.

Serve alongside our buttered roast turkey with porcini and sourdough stuffing.

Easy
December 2012

Test kitchen approved

Serves 6-8
Takes 15 minutes to make, 20 minutes to cook

Try an alternative accompaniment for your Christmas turkey with this make-ahead sweet, mellow pear and chestnut side dish recipe.

Serve alongside our buttered roast turkey with porcini and sourdough stuffing.

Nutrition: For 8 servings

Calories: 170kcals
Fat: 6.6g (3.5g saturated)
Protein: 1.5g
Carbohydrates: 26g (12.1g sugars)
Fibre: 5.2g
Salt: 0.1g

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Ingredients

50g butter
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 firm pears, peeled and cut into wedges
½ tbsp caster sugar
400g peeled and cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
Juice of 1 lemon (optional)

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Method

Melt 10g of the butter in a heavy-based frying pan, then gently cook the onion for 5-8 minutes until soft and lightly browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Melt another 20g of the butter in the pan, then add the pears and the sugar, raising the heat slightly. Bubble for a few minutes until the pears are golden on the underside, then flip them over and repeat until browned all over. Set aside with the onion.
Melt the remaining butter, then turn up the heat and shake the pan until the butter foams. Add the chestnuts and thyme, season with plenty of salt, then toss well. Cook over a high heat for 2 minutes without moving the contents of the pan, until toasted on one side. Toss again and repeat.
Return the onion and pears to the pan and cook, stirring from time to time but being careful not to break up the pears too much. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then add the lemon juice – you may only need a squeeze, depending on the sweetness of the pears.

Recipe from December 2012 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 170kcals
Fat: 6.6g (3.5g saturated)
Protein: 1.5g
Carbohydrates: 26g (12.1g sugars)
Fibre: 5.2g
Salt: 0.1g

delicious. tips

Make this accompaniment up 2 days in advance and store in a freezer bag in the fridge. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and reheat in the oven for 20 minutes.