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