Crêpes with Sautéed Pears, Aged Gouda, and Fresh Thyme

I love putting sweet and salty flavors together, which is why I find these crêpes so delicious. Sautéing the pears makes them juicy and luscious, and the herbal notes from the fresh thyme keep things from becoming too sweet. For the Gouda, I don’t recommend using the really aged stuff (two years or more) here because it’s too hard and crystalline to melt properly. A good Gruyère or even blue cheese would also be very tasty.  

• 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil or unsalted butter
• 1 ripe medium pear (about 5 oz.), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Brown Butter Crêpes 
• 3/4 cup lightly packed shredded aged Gouda (such as Rembrandt)

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 200°F. 

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the
pear slices, sprinkle them with the thyme, and season generously with
salt and pepper. Cook the pears, gently flipping them over once and
taking care not to break up the slices too much, until just tender,
about 2 minutes per side. Slide the pears onto a plate.

Wipe out
the skillet and return it to medium-high heat. Lay a crêpe in the
skillet presentation-side up. Let the crêpe heat through for about 15
seconds, flip it, and then sprinkle the surface with half of the cheese.Arrange half of the pear slices on one half of the crêpe, then fold theother half over the pears. Slide the crêpe onto a serving plate and
fold it in half again to make a loose triangle. Keep the crêpe warm in
the oven while you repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve right
away.