Pancetta Crisps with Goat Cheese and Pear

I can only find cubed pancetta these days. I wonder if any other cured Itailan meat (hello proscuitto) would work.

• Janet

• Shenandoah, VA

• 3/11/2023

I take a different approach... I microwave the pancetta between two paper towels to absorb the grease until crispy. No mess, no fuss. I do it ahead of time - even a day or two, and they hold well. Some good goat cheese and a pear slice and everyone loves them. I do find that they get soggy if put together for too long, so it's a just-in-time final prep. Will try with figs and blue cheese once the figs are ripe.

• lwhipp

• Sonoma County, CA

• 8/22/2015

Made this for a dinner party as an appetizer. Wasn't sure how it was going to go over but it was a huge hit, even amongst the real meat and potatoes crowd. Very easy to make; I put them on parchment paper when baking the pancetta and it made clean up simple.

• superrj

• Northern NJ

• 12/8/2012

I loved this recipe. It's very easy to make and very versatile. I can see changing it by adding different fruit or savory fillings.

• Anonymous

• Chicago IL

• 2/28/2012

This is a great, easy go to appetizer! Try fig jam with the goat or Gorgonzola over arugula. Have even topped with diced pear and peppery radish. Adds some nice color. Delish!

• BhamMom

• 1/30/2012

These were a huge hit at a champagne cocktail hour. Tried several ways to bake the pancetta, but what worked best was just flat on a rimmed baking sheet, just as in the recipe.If your pancetta is sliced too thin, just bake 2 slices together.They do smoke and smell, so I baked them about an hour ahead. Don't skimp on the goat cheese-the creaminess balances the saltiness of the ham. A really good, fast easy appetizer that looks and tastes special.

• goldenbearmom

• Columbus Ohio

• 12/24/2011

This was THE hit of our holiday party. Followed another reviewer's suggestion of using mini-muffin tins. They looked great! Filled half the pancetta cups with chevre and pear, the other half with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. The potatoes and cheese was much more popular, eliciting almost inappropriate moans and many weak knees. 48 pancetta cups needed about 4 medium potatoes, 1/2 cup of milk and 2 cups of sharp cheddar to fill them. Thanks to Bert at Ellio's German Auto in Sacramento for the filling suggestion!

• Anonymous

• Davis, CA

• 12/12/2011

Super easy to make and the hit of the party! I could barely get them to the table!

• MollieZ

• Centennial, CO

• 11/28/2011

This recipe was really good. Be sure to make the pancetta crisps well before your guests arrive. They are a pain to make, they smoke like crazy and the smoke alarm constantly went off but it was all worth it in the end. My guests loved it.

• aleneshannon

• Calgary

• 10/23/2011

Was a bit hit at my dinner party. I replaced the pear with fresh fig. Next time, I would also drizzle with honey. Simple and delicious.

• mangarino

• 10/11/2011

A wonderfully easy recipe that everyone enjoyed. Pancetta works 1000X better than proscuitto (tried to use it for a less fattening appetizer). Definitely use premium ingredients!

• emilygunn12

• Washington, DC

• 1/7/2011

I love easy and good recipes, this is one of them

• leolapue

• 11/3/2010

I've made this many times, everyone loves it, and it's so easy.

• altay

• Toronto, On

• 9/27/2010

I was planning on serving this at a cocktail party and my boyfriend suggested I try it first...glad I did. I found all the ingredients at my local grocery store, fixed it all up and discovered the pancetta overbearingly salty. I like salty&this was a bit much (I got the ONLY pancetta available and maybe it wasnt the best quality *shrug*) . SOOOOO, what I did, smear the pear slices with goat cheese and sprinkled a bit of pancetta on top, balanced everything out and it was DELICIOUS!!! This deserves max forkes rating IIIFFFFF you work with your available ingredients, the flavors are all there!!

• fortenbe

• Wichita

• 5/20/2010

As with any recipe that requires so few ingredients, the ingredients must be of the best quality. These are easy to make and delicious. A nice crisp pear is necessary. And goat cheese at room temp. I have served these multiple times and quests are always pleased with the combination of flavors.

• bajathecat

• Akumal, Q. Roo, MX

• 3/22/2010