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–+ servings

Roasted Pear & Camembert Biscuits

4.75 | 4 reviews
These biscuits are light, flaky piles of sweet and savory. The camembert is a cheese that puddles into the biscuits, melting down into crispy edges. The roasted pear weaves throughout the dough, mixing with lemon zest and thyme. And to round out the sweet side, candied walnuts bake on top. It's perfect for any brunch, lazy Sunday afternoon or fun baking activity.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Chilling Time 30 minutes
Servings: 9 biscuits

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 small pear, 150 grams before coring
  • 226 grams salted butter, 2 sticks
  • 100 grams camembert cheese, 3.5 ounces
  • 420 grams all-purpose flour, 3 cups
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 lemon, for zesting
  • 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, loosely packed
  • 300 grams whole buttermilk, 1 1/4 cup, plus more for brushing
  • 70 grams raw walnut halves, 2/3 cup
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 egg white

Instructions 

  1. Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
  2. Puncture the pear with a fork a few times, wrap it in foil and roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until softened throughout.
  3. While the pear is roasting, cube the butter into 1-centimeter squared cubes, spread them on a baking sheet and transfer them to the freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes.
  4. Cube the camembert (rind and all) into 1-centimeter squared cubes, add them to a bowl and transfer them to the fridge to chill for at least 15 minutes.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, two teaspoons of lemon zest and two tablespoons of thyme leaves.
  6. Add the butter to the flour. Toss with your hands to coat each cube in flour, then press, flattening the cubes into discs. Continue to toss to make sure the butter is always coated in the flour. Add the cheese and mix into the dough. Pour in the buttermilk and mix into a shaggy dough. Transfer this to the fridge to chill while you slice the pear.
  7. When the pear is out of the oven, core and slice it into thin slices. Halve those slices crosswise and set them aside to reach room temperature.
  8. Pull the dough out of the fridge. Transfer it to a lightly floured surface and press it down into a 2-inch tall rectangle. Use a bench scraper to halve the dough. Put the halves on top of each other and press down, rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Dust the dough with more flour as needed, or when any butter or cheese is breaking out of the surface.
  9. Pat the dough down into a rectangle and cut it into thirds. Layer the pear slices on top of one piece of dough. Place another on top, layer with more pear, and place the last piece on top. Dust with flour and press this down into a rectangle no more than 2 inches tall.
  10. Wrap the dough in saran wrap and if needed, press it down with a rolling pin. Transfer this to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
  11. While the dough is chilling. Finely chop the walnuts and add them to a bowl with 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon thyme leaves and the brown sugar. Whisk an egg white until frothy and mix it in with the walnuts.
  12. When the dough has chilled, cut it into 9 even squares. Transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet and brush with a thin layer of buttermilk.
  13. Spread the walnut mixture on top of each biscuit. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until very golden brown. Serve warm!