Oct 1
2010

Jarlsberg Cheese & Asian Pear Turnovers

in Appetizers, Fruits & Vegetables, Giveaway, Main Course, Oyatsu/Snack, Side Dish

When I was invited to participate in a Tailgating event at Kitchen Play, and was given the challenge of coming up with 2 tailgating themed recipes featuring Jarlsberg cheese, I was excited.  Kitchen Play is a new site devoted to connecting food bloggers and PR professionals through fun sponsored events.  The participating bloggers are compensated for their work. Come up with 2 fun recipes using one of my favorite cheeses and get paid to do it? Yes please!  Jarlsberg cheese is a fantastic Norwegian cheese that is reminiscent of Swiss cheese, but even better.  It is a bit sweeter than Swiss cheese and has a distinct nutty flavor.

Jarlsberg Cheese

My girls love it, not only because it’s delicious, but because they love the holes in it.

Kids love Jarlsberg cheese!

Along with the tailgating recipes, I am giving away a Jarlsberg Tailgate Tote!  Details on how to enter the giveaway can be found after the recipe.

Jarlsberg Tailgate Tote

I decided to come up with two recipes that had Asian influences, would please both adults and children alike, and would be easy to make and take to any tailgating party.  I made Jarlsberg Cheese & Asian Pear Turnovers and Sweet Potato & Jarlsberg Cheese Croquettes.  First up is the recipe for the turnovers.

Cheese & Asian Pear Turnovers fresh out of the oven

I fell in love with Asian pears (or “nashi” as they’re called in Japanese) when we first moved to Japan.  Despite it’s name, an Asian pear is more like an apple than a pear.  It is crisp and fragrant and is wonderful paired with more savory items.

Delicious Asian Pear

Due to the high water content, you only use a small slice of pear for each turnover to avoid getting soggy pastry, but the pear provides a juicy fragrant balance to the creamy rich cheese.  Asian pears tend to be a bit more expensive, but since you are using a very small amount, this is not an expensive dish to make.

Biting into a cheesy Asian pear turnover

I used a can of refrigerated crescent roll dough to make my turnovers, by separating the dough into 4 rectangles, pressing the seams together, then cutting each rectangle in half to make 8 squares.  These make larger turnovers, similar in size to half a slice of sandwich bread.  You could always make mini turnovers for appetizer sized portions.  Puff pastry could also be used for these turnovers.  However, I find that due to the need to thaw out puff pastry, the crescent roll dough is a much easier and quicker option.  In addition, the crescent roll dough travels much better once baked than puff pastry.

Preparing the turnover dough

Assembling the turnovers is easy.  All you have to do is place several slices of cheese and a slice of pear on each square of dough, sprinkle a pinch of nutmeg on top, fold the other half of dough over and pinch the sides together.  Then into the oven they go until they are golden brown!

Assembling the turnovers

These turnovers are like fancier grilled cheese sandwiches.  Make them ahead of time, wrap them in foil, and then place them on the grill briefly to reheat them.

Jarlsberg Cheese & Asian Pear Turnovers

Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

Jarlsberg Cheese & Asian Pear Turnovers

Makes 8 turnovers

1 can (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water
8 ounces Jarlsberg cheese, cut into thin slices
1/2 Asian pear (about 4 ounces), cut into thin half slices
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Separate the crescent roll dough into 4 rectangles, then press the perforations together to seal.  Cut each rectangle in half to make squares (8 squares in total).  If the pieces are not quite square, gently stretch them into shape.  Beat together the egg and water and brush each square with the mixture.

2. Place 1 ounce of sliced Jarlsberg cheese and 1 slice of Asian pear on one corner half of each square.  Sprinkle a pinch of nutmeg over each square.

3. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling to form a triangle.  Use your fingers or a fork to seal the edges together.  Brush the tops with the egg mixture.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet, or a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat, and bake for 16 to 19 minutes until golden brown.

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To enter the giveaway for the Jarlsberg Tailgate Tote: Leave a comment telling me how you would use Jarlsberg cheese in a tailgating dish!  If you need some inspiration, go check out the Jarlsberg Tailgating site for all kinds of awesome ideas!  I will keep the comments open until Wednesday, October 6th, 10 PM PST, and announce the winner (using a random number generator) on Thursday, October 7th.  This giveaway is open to US addresses ONLY.

Bonus Entries: (*Each bonus entry requires a separate comment to be counted!*)

2. Follow @fujimama on Twitter. RT this post and then come back and leave a separate comment telling me you’ve done so. NOTE: You must be following @fujimama for this entry to count.  You can even just copy and paste this tweet to make it easy: @fujimama Jarlsberg Tailgate Tote giveaway—are you ready for your next tailgating party? http://su.pr/7lMe9g

3. Become a fan on Facebook. Come back and leave a separate comment telling me you’ve done so (or if you already “like” me on Facebook).

4. Become a fan of Jarlsberg Cheese on Facebook.  Come back and leave a separate comment telling me you’ve done so (or if you already “like” them on Facebook).

5. Sign up for our RSS Feed or Email Subscription.  Come back and leave a separate comment telling me you’ve done so (or if you’re already a subscriber).

Tailgating with Jarlsberg

* Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Jarlsberg Cheese.  I was compensated for my work developing and photographing this recipe for the tailgating event.

{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }

sippitysup October 1, 2010 at 7:43 am

Well it might no be original, but I’d slice mine and serve it with pears! GREG

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sippitysup October 1, 2010 at 7:46 am

In my second comment I won’t try and leave a lame joke like I did in the first one. I’ll just say I retweeted this! GREG

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Heather (Heather's Dish) October 1, 2010 at 8:11 am

i’ve never tried an asian pear before…they always scared me (who knows why?)! these sound incredible…as most things with cheese often do :)

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Joy October 1, 2010 at 9:46 am

Great pairing.

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camgurl October 1, 2010 at 12:49 pm

I would make a Jarlsberg cheese and beer inspired fondue! With lots of chucks of bread and fresh veggies for dipping… Yum.

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camgurl October 1, 2010 at 12:50 pm

*chunks

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David Eger October 2, 2010 at 2:27 pm

Looks delicious and oh-so-easy (my favorite kind of recipe!). And I’m with the girls – I love Jarlsberg cheese and just about any other food with a hole in it.

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Paula - bell'alimento October 3, 2010 at 5:20 pm

Of course I’d make THIS tailgating recipe! Love the flavor combination as always!

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Paula - bell'alimento October 3, 2010 at 5:21 pm

I’m following on TWITTER & of course RT’d ; )

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Paula - bell'alimento October 3, 2010 at 5:22 pm

I’m a Facebook FAN! Woo Hoo!

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Paula - bell'alimento October 3, 2010 at 5:22 pm

I’m a subscriber, isn’t everyone???? :D

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Rose in Ohio October 3, 2010 at 7:16 pm

I’d probably make the terrific smoked turkey salad with Jarslberg cheese from the original Silver Palate cookbook–it’s wonderful for fall.

rosemills (at) bex (dot) net

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Rose in Ohio October 3, 2010 at 7:20 pm

Following you on twitter and waiting for your next tweet!

rosemills (at) bex (dot) net

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Rose in Ohio October 3, 2010 at 7:23 pm

I tweeted about your giveaway right here:
http://twitter.com/RoseMillsOhio/status/26324963157

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Rose in Ohio October 3, 2010 at 7:26 pm

I am an official La Fuji Mama email subscriber. Yay!

rosemills (at) bex (dot) net

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landwench October 4, 2010 at 9:38 pm

sounds like it would be delicious in French onion soup..

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heather October 5, 2010 at 5:35 am

It’s like an amped up, portable, gourmet panini! For tailgating! Excellent. I most definitely approve.

Cheers,

*Heather*

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Sandra October 5, 2010 at 7:53 am

Jarlsberg is so good, just eating it all by itself would be a tail-gating treat, but I really like the idea of putting them in a turnover. I think I’d try something like this recipe, but with roasted mushrooms instead.

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Teslaca October 5, 2010 at 5:32 pm

For a tailgating snack, I like thin slices of Jarlsberg and smoked turkey rolled up in a lettuce leaf with honey mustard to dip them in. It’s one of my favorite combinations.

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Melissa Hodgen October 6, 2010 at 11:18 am

Your recipe..I have everything in the fridge BUT the cheese!

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dana October 6, 2010 at 3:34 pm

I would definitely use this cheese for an awesome muffaletta sandwich :)

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Kim - Liv Life October 7, 2010 at 8:07 pm

We have just discovered how much we enjoy Asian Pears! With Jarlsberg being a favorite, and always in the fridge cheese, these are perfect for our household!

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Jana September 25, 2013 at 4:20 pm

I’d make mini meat pies with the cheese inside of them. YUM! Just picked four cherry buckets full from a friend’s tree. I am chomping on one with cheese as I type.

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