Pear & Brie Quesadillas
PEAR AND BRIE LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKE QUESADILLAS
Ah, September. Harvest Season is upon us. No really, it’s my absolute favorite time of year, and I do love all the food associated with it.
I used a fig infused balsamic glaze from Heinens, but you can of course use their amazing organic balsamic version here.
Instead of using flour tortillas to do quesadillas, I wanted to use something that we LOVE, which is lemon ricotta pancakes. Why not make this a sweet and savory breakfast or brunch? Who doesn’t love pancakes?
September is the peak season for pears! Get them while they’re fresh and pre-ripened!
PEAR AND BRIE LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKE QUESADILLAS RECIPE
Lemon Ricotta Pancake Ingredients
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
3.5 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3/4 cup ricotta (low-fat or whole)
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 - 2 tablespoons lemon zest
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Lemon Ricotta Pancake Instructions
Preheat a griddle type pan to medium-high heat.
In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt for 20 seconds.
Make a well in center of flour mixture and set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, ricotta, eggs and vanilla until well blended.
Add butter, lemon zest and lemon juice to milk mixture and blend until combined.
Immediately pour milk mixture into flour mixture and whisk until combined.
Pour onto pan to the size you like, and make sure they’re all the same size because they will need to be layered in twos, as a quesadilla later.
Cook each until desired color and consistency. Set Aside on paper towel to absorb some moisture post cook.
Remember, 2 pancakes per quesadillas, you can make anywhere from 8-10 pancakes with this amount, so about 4-5 quesadillas.
Pear And Brie Quesadillas Filling Ingredients
2-3 ripe Bartlett or regular pears, peeled and thinly sliced after halving vertically, and halving those halves
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter to melt in skillet
1 wheel of triple creme brie, baked in oven at 375°F for 15 minutes
almond butter for spreading on pancakes
balsamic fig drizzle for topping
Pear And Brie Quesadillas Instructions
Set oven to 375°F, and bake brie wheel (without wrapper) for 15 minutes.
While brie is baking, saute the julienned pears in a skillet with butter for about 25 minutes.
Remove brie and set aside to cool slightly after piercing top with a knife.
With 10 minutes left on the pears, toss in the cinnamon and brown sugar to get a slight browning.
Set aside the pears when done and prepare to build quesadillas with the pancakes that are waiting. If they are luke-warm or cold, you can toss them back on a heated skillet after building the quesadillas.
To build, spread a couple tablespoons of almond butter delicately onto pancake.
Spread on desired amount of cooked pears.
Quickly spoon the melted brie over the pears, then seal the bottom lemon ricotta pancake with the pear and fixings with the second pancake to make the quesadilla.
Do this with the remaining pancakes and filling.
Once they are all assembled, you may reheat on the skillet for a few minutes, and then cut in half.
Drizzle the balsamic fig dressing over lightly.
