Pear and Blue Cheese Cornbread

I’m writing from the dining table of our cozy new home. Reader, I can hardly believe that we are here. After many ups and downs, it feels like a miracle that the house is built and real and a place that I can sit inside and type in. But here I am! I have lots to share about the house, but that will come in another post very soon. Instead, I am coming in hot with a profoundly tasty pear and blue cheese cornbread recipe just in time for Thanksgiving. It combines: 1) the salty creaminess of a stilton blue cheese 2) the sweet honeyed flavor of ripe pears, and 3) the cozy vibes of a rich autumnal cornbread.

I used Greek yogurt in the cornbread batter because it adds a moistness that many cornbread recipes are sorely lacking (isn’t it a bummer when you bite into cornbread and it feels like a mouth full of sand? The WORST.) I also added frozen corn kernels to the batter because I love the sweetness of fresh corn, and they add moisture to the cornbread as they bake. And there’s chopped up fresh pears and blue cheese crumbles folded into it, of course, plus some thinly sliced pears and extra blue cheese crumbles on top for good measure. As for the blue cheese, there are SO many different kinds, and I recommend using stilton blue cheese for it’s nutty and salty-sweet flavor.

Also, I shot these photos in the new kitchen! It was my first time baking and photographing in this room, and it was such a treat. For me, a new place never really feels like home until I’ve baked in it—it’s been that way at all the houses and apartments we’ve lived in over the years. And after envisioning cooking and moving through this kitchen for years, it was so comforting to actually be able to create something delicious in this space. We are getting used to the quirks of things (the convection setting on our new oven bakes more quickly than our previous one, so forgive the extra-golden edges of the cornbread in these photos!), but I can honestly say that it feels very good to be home. And with that, dear reader, I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving and/or a lovely week ahead, depending on your location. Enjoy this tasty cornbread + I hope to be back to posting more regularly soon!

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Pear and Blue Cheese Cornbread

This delicious pear and blue cheese cornbread combines the salty creaminess of a stilton blue cheese with the sweet honeyed flavor of ripe pears, all embedded in rich autumnal cornbread. Enjoy, my friend!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword blue cheese cornbread

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 12 people

Calories 328 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup medium grind yellow cornmeal
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups plain full fat Greek yogurt room temp
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter melted
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 small pear about 5 ounces, peeled cored and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 6 ounces blue cheese ideally stilton, crumbled
• 1 long pear cut into VERY thin slices lengthwise

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish and set it aside.

2. Put the dry ingredients in a stand mixer and mix at low speed with the paddle attachment until combined. Add the yogurt, eggs, butter, and honey and mix at low speed until *just* combined. Add the frozen corn, chopped pear, and about 3/4 of the blue cheese crumbles and fold into the batter until evenly distributed.
3. Empty the batter into the greased baking dish and spread with spatula to make it even on top. Sprinkle with the remaining blue cheese crumbles, and then place the pear slices on top, pressing them gently onto the batter to secure them in place. You don’t have to use all of the pear slices, just enough to attractively cover the cornbread.

4. Place on the lowest rack of the oven and bake until golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs (not wet), about 35-45 min. Check about 10 minutes early to see if it’s browning too quickly on top and add foil on top if needed, then bake until it passes the toothpick test. If you’re using a convection oven it will cook faster, so keep an eye on it!

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Will keep covered in the refrigerator for several days. You can also slice it and freeze it in an airtight container for several months.

Recipe Notes

Try to slice the long pears as thinly as you can. This will help make sure the cornbread bakes evenly underneath the pears and doesn't stay wet right underneath them on the surface.

Nutrition Facts

Pear and Blue Cheese Cornbread

Amount Per Serving

Calories 328 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Trans Fat 0.2g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 53mg18%

Sodium 511mg22%

Potassium 311mg9%

Carbohydrates 46g15%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 12g13%

Protein 11g22%

Vitamin A 314IU6%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 148mg15%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.