Fruit as the dessert course: Sautéed Pears with Thyme and Ice Cream

Pear slices sautéed with butter and fresh thyme and topped with ice cream and lemon zest create a fresh, decadent dessert. Recipe below.

Sometimes, dinner parties can be all glossy and elaborate, with candlelight, multiple extravagant courses and multiple opportunities to overindulge. And while this dessert would hold its own in that setting, it came out of the other kind of dinner party. The over-the-top informal kind that can only be shared with really old friends—and that is every bit as much fun.

We spent Sunday afternoon wandering around the Art Institute of Chicago’s Modern Wing with our friend Casey. We’ve known her longer than we’ve known our own daughters, so when we got back to our apartment, we were totally comfortable convening in the kitchen to throw together a simple dinner.

For Casey, cooking is a spectator sport, but she can always be counted on to bring wine. She kept it flowing while I put together one of my go-to appetizers, an endive salad with blue cheese and pecans, and Marion started a big pot of her chili. Once it was simmering, the party (and the salad and the wine) moved into the living room.

We all still had a pretty good art buzz going from the museum visit. Conversation turned to a documentary Marion and I had seen, Herb & Dorothy, about a New York City postal worker and librarian who amassed one of the most impressive private collections of contemporary art in the world and then gave it away. Between bites of endive and blue cheese, I fired it up on Netflix. And that was that. When the chili was ready, we balanced bowls on our laps and continued watching. The dining table, with its brocade tablecloth and unlit candles, sat ignored.

The art collecting couple segued into a second documentary, Bill Cunningham New York, and Marion returned to the kitchen to make dessert. While Casey and I watched The New York Times’s renowned octogenarian fashion photographer/reporter/chronicler bicycle around Manhattan capturing street fashion, Marion whipped up her delicious take on Bananas Foster. Again, the dining room saw no action as we enjoyed our dessert.

The still warm bananas melting into the rich vanilla ice cream—and the warmth of the whole embarrassingly casual dinner party—got me thinking about other fruits to sauté and serve with ice cream. Pears came immediately to mind. They’re beautiful, readily available and seasonal even now, as I learned when I made Pear Blue Cheese Bacon Pizza in December. Next, I remembered how nicely the thyme played with the lamb in last week’s recipe, and Marion suggested lemon zest, to add a little brightness.

The recipe below is as simple and casual as our dinner party was. We really loved it as is, especially the way the thyme and lemon zest worked together. But feel free to improvise.

Sautéed Pears with Thyme and Ice Cream
Serves 2 (can be doubled)

1 tablespoon or so of butter
1 ripe pear (see Kitchen Notes)
about 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided (see Kitchen Notes)
zest of 1/2 lemon
vanilla ice cream (see Kitchen Notes)

A quick note: Get everything prepped before you slice the pear. Otherwise, much like  an apple, it may discolor.

Cut up about 1 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick skillet. Core the pear and turn on a medium-low flame under the pan. As the butter melts, halve the pear lengthwise and slice each half into 4 wedges. Swirl the butter in the pan to coat the bottom; if it’s not quite covering it, add a little more butter.

Add the pears to the pan and sauté on the cut sides until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes total. Turn occasionally and gently. I used a spatula and a wooden spoon. As they cook, the pear slices will soften, and you don’t want to beat them up. About halfway through the cooking time, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the fresh thyme leaves in the pan, on and around the pears. As you continue to turn the pears, thyme leaves will cling to them.

When the pear slices are nicely browned, divide them between 2 shallow bowls or small rimmed plates. Nestle 1 or 2 small scoops of ice cream among the slices. (I know there’s one in the photo—it looks lovely that way, but when we ate this, we both went back for a little more ice cream.) Sprinkle with more fresh thyme leaves and lemon zest. Serve.

Kitchen Notes

Which pear and is it ripe? Just about any variety of pear will work for this; I used Anjou. As I learned from Pear Bureau Northwest, the best way to tell if a pear is ripe is to “check the neck.” Using your thumb, apply gentle pressure to the neck or stem end. If it yields slightly, the pear is ripe.

Fresh thyme, please. In many recipes, substituting dried herbs for fresh works just fine. For this, you need fresh. The thyme doesn’t disappear into a slow-cooked sauce. You’re eating barely cooked and uncooked leaves in this dish; dried will feel like tiny twigs in your mouth.

I scream, you scream, etcetera. We rarely have ice cream in the house—insane calories and fat content and all. But this dish demands it, I think. There’s something about its richness and creamy mouth feel that frozen yogurt just can’t match.

One final note. If you haven’t seen the two documentaries mentioned above, do. They’re fascinating.

17 thoughts on “Fruit as the dessert course: Sautéed Pears with Thyme and Ice Cream

  1. This is fascinating. I love this. I love dessert, and this one is easy and delicious. I think switch the pear with banana which you had mentioned also really yummy too. 🙂

  2. “Pear Bureau?” Only you.
    Well, I think this all sounds and looks wonderful — the Art Institute followed by an elegant dessert, and I’ve put Herb & Dorothy on my must-see list.

  3. Thanks, love cooking! If you want a classic use of sautéed bananas with ice cream, try Bananas Foster. It’s a classic dish that involves alcohol and fire, a nice way to show off for guests and perhaps flirt with disaster.

    Altadenahiker, I think you’ll love Herb & Dorothy. For us, it was the third time we’d seen it, and it was still fascinating. And you’re right, it was a wonderful way to spend the day—and evening.

  4. Pear + thyme is a great combo, and one I rarely use – I don’t know why. Maybe because I usually eat my pears neat, rather than cooked? That has to change – pears are wonderful cooked and perfect desserts. Excellent recipe – thanks.

  5. Fantastic recipe – pear and thyme is not a combination I would have thought about in my kitchen!

  6. I just want to drop in and say how much I enjoy receiving your weekly email.
    This Friday we shall try this recipe. Love it!

  7. Hi Terry!
    Another delightful post. Celebrating pears in everyway possible is an art form. I just loving having them side by side on the counter like good friends.
    Have enjoyed poached pears in many ways – with rich dark chocolate topping and of course with balsamic vinegar. But I love the “concept” of adding thyme. So we’re all set for this weekend with this one!
    PS also highly recommend Herb, Dorothy – and Bill Cunningham all pure lovers of art!

  8. I eat ice cream every night and I swear I do not gain weight from it. It’s a great treat I look forward to. Other than my ice cream, I don’t eat sweets. This would be an extra special night. Love pears and I can smell what the thyme does to this.

  9. Kitchenriffs—I’m not sure why I thought of pear and thyme together, but they really complemented each other.

    Thanks, Matt!

    Thanks so much, Aida. I hope you tried it and liked it!

    Louise, I can totally taste pears with dark chocolate—sounds wonderful.

    Ice cream every night, Angela? Very jealous right now.

    Lindsey, I also make jam thumbprint cookies with fresh rosemary. Herbs added to desserts just seems to make them more interesting. Gives them more depth.

    That simplicity is one of its charms, Cynthia.

  10. I had never thought to combine pears with thyme before, although I am a very traditional dessert kind of girl. I’ll never be able to give up cakes and cookies and brownies and pies and all those other terribly bad for you but always delicious food items. I’m not even sure I think this combination sounds that appealing to me, but I’m so curious to see what the flavor comes out as. Why did you think of pears first? Personally I probably would have first thought of apples. But I am always wondering why I don’t include more pears in my diet, so maybe this will be a fun way to start!

  11. Thanks, Jill! My original intent was fanned pear slices with the ice cream balancing precariously on top. But as I started plating it, the much more sensible box shape just presented itself.

    Katie, I think apples tend to be a little too assertive in many applications, both in their tartness and crispness, even when cooked. The pears are a little sweeter and less, well, pushy in this dish. And while I’m often in the “if it’s not chocolate, it’s not dessert” camp, this was suitably rich and decadent.

  12. this looks yum! the fresh thyme visually adds a something to it, and fruit, well, it makes the ice cream look healthy.
    I could see doing this for a special occasion, too. Will have to bookmark it!

  13. What a lovely recipe – casual and elegant at the same time! I would have never thought of thyme on dessert, but a local Austin ice cream shop sells an ice cream flavored with thyme and goat cheese that is oh-so-heavenly.

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