Cup Crumbled Blue Cheese (Choose Danish Blue, Stilton, Maytag, Or Other Favorite)

BAKED PEARS STUFFED WITH BLUE CHEESE AND CRANBERRIES
Sweet pears, tangy cranberries and rich blue cheese are an unbeatable combination. This dish is an elegant way to start a meal as well as a light end to one. Choose a ripe but firm pear like Bartlett that will hold up during baking. (Source: Cooking Light Magazine, November 2006)

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

½ cup crumbled blue cheese (choose Danish blue, Stilton, Maytag, or other favorite)

¼ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup chopped pecans, toasted

8 peeled Bartlett pears
¼ cup apple juice

1 tablespoon port

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine sugar and butter in a small bowl, stir until well blended. Add cheese, cranberries and pecans; stir well.

Cut 1 inch off the stem end of each pear; reserve top. Remove core from the stem end and scoop out about 2 tablespoons of pulp from each pear with a small spoon or melon baller to form a cup. If necessary, slice a bit off the bottom of the pears so they sit flat. Place the pears in a 13” x 9” baking dish. Fill each pear with about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture and replace the top.

Combine juice and port and pour into baking dish. Bake pears at 375° for 30 minutes or until tender. Serve warm. Serving size is one pear.

Mary Collins-Shepard

The Kitchen Garden Girl

November 2006