I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week! After a big feasting holiday lighter desserts like these Grilled Pears with Honey-Whipped Greek Yogurt and Toasted Almonds really start to appeal to me.
It seriously smells as if someone is stirring up some homemade caramel nearby when fresh pear halves begin to sear on a hot panini grill. I couldn’t wait to pull those hot pears off the grill and drop them into a martini glass with the cold Greek yogurt that I’d whipped with a little honey and vanilla. A sprinkling of toasted almonds and an extra drizzle of honey was all I needed to turn a simple set of ingredients into something a little special.
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Grilled Pears with Honey-Whipped Greek Yogurt and Toasted Almonds
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 6 minutes | Total time: 16 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup whole Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons honey, plus more for drizzling
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup whole almonds
- 4 ripe pears, such as D’Anjou or Bosc
- 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
DIRECTIONS:
- Whip the yogurt, honey and vanilla in a blender, mini-prep food processor or with an electric mixer until it’s creamy, smooth and shiny, about 2 minutes. Transfer it to a small bowl and refrigerate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Toast the almonds on a baking sheet at 350°F in a toaster oven or regular oven until they’re fragrant, about 5 minutes. Keep your eye on them so they don’t burn!
- Preheat the panini grill to High (or the highest heat setting).
- Slice each pear in half lengthwise and remove the core (an easy way is to scoop out the core with a teaspoon from your measuring spoon set). Brush a little butter onto the cut sides.
- Place the pears, cut side down, onto the grill and close the lid so that it rests gently on top of the pears. Grill until dark grill marks appear and you can smell the aroma of burnt caramel, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer the pears to individual bowls or martini glasses. Top with a few dollops of the honey-whipped yogurt, sprinkle on a few toasted almonds and drizzle with honey.
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What a terrific and speedy idea for a dessert! Everything in your recipe is a staple I already have in my house, and somehow it seems like a more special dessert than one more square of dark chocolate 🙂
thanks for sharing!
This reminds me of poached pears, except grilled – what a fun idea and so pretty with the grill marks. A nice healthy dessert during this holiday season!
What a beautiful and elegant presentation, love those grill marks!
this is right up my alley
Mmmm…this looks SO good! And easy, too, which is an extra bonus.!
Wow, this is so elegant and pretty and must be healthy and delicious too! I am pinning in on Pinterest, and will try this recipe when I buy pears :-). Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
What a cool idea! I would’ve never thought of using a panini press to grill fruit. This looks like such a great winter dessert!
These are absolutely stunning, Kathy! I love the simplicity (not to mention health factor) of this seasonal sweet. Thanks for sharing!
Love this!
I love how elegant and delicious this looks. The best part is its so fuss free and fast!
Kathy,
This is simply elegant! Love this idea for an early winter sweet treat.
Those look so beautiful, what an elegant dessert.
I always forget to use my panini press for “alternative” means! This looks absolutely delicious, and I think that my daughter would love to eat this for dessert! 🙂