Pearing with Bacon

Over the past few years, I've seen several sandwiches sporting slices or chunks of the native Mexican root vegetable, jicama, often paired with cheese and/or chicken. One of them is at Flour Bakery in Boston/Cambridge. However, I've been trying out the far easier to find, less expensive, and frankly overlooked pear. When in season, a ripe pear can be incomparable. Adding fresh pear along with bacon to a sandwich or salad however can be really splendid.

I recently came across the B.L.P. [Bacon, Lettuce, and Pear] bisected on the great food-art blog Scanwiches, which led me to write this post. The recipe for this BLP is from the food magazine The Runcible Spoon (p.6). Simply Recipes provides a great grilled cheese with cheddar, bacon and pear, while Average Betty recommends aged gouda and caramelized onions. The pairing of bacon and pear can also work well in a salad. Bon Appétit has offered a salad with grilled pear, bacon, and Roquefort cheese, and the blog Brooklyn Supper suggests an endive salad as the base for the salty-sweet duo. Experiment with different types of pears including Bartlett, Bosc, D'Anjou, and the Asian varieties and of course fruitwood-smoked bacon might elevate the blend of flavors.