Warm Poached Bosc Pear Stuffed with Blue Cheese
Try these lovely poached pears, stuffed with blue cheese and served with a walnut puff pastry fritter, for an elegant first or final course. Recipe by chef Octavio Becerra.
Recipe Ingredients:
Pears:
4 cups Muscat wine
1 cup granulated sugar
2 to 3 cinnamon sticks
Zest of 1 lemon
6 Bosc pears, peeled
8 ounces Wisconsin Blue cheese, softened
Fritter:
1/2 pound puff pastry (10-inch square)
4 tablespoons walnut paste*
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon bread crumbs
1 tablespoons toasted ground walnuts
Sauce:
1 cup poaching liquid
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Cooking Directions:
- For Pears: In large saucepan over medium-low heat combine wine, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Submerge pears in poaching liquid. Gently cook until tender. Remove pan from heat. Marinate pears 48 hours in poaching liquid.
- When ready to serve, remove pears from pan (reserve poaching liquid). Hollow out pear. Stuff pears with blue cheese.
- For Fritter: Spread walnut paste thinly over puff pastry. Sprinkle walnut paste evenly with sugar. Top with pepper, bread crumbs and walnuts. Cut into 1 x 5-inch strips. Place strips on baking sheet; bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes until golden brown.
- For Sauce: In small pan over low heat, warm poaching liquid. Just before serving, slowly whisk in butter.
- To serve: Heat pear on plate. Powder sugar plate edge. Ladle sauce over pear. Garnish with mint and walnut fritter.
Makes 6 servings.
*Process about 1/2 cup walnuts in a food processor until paste-like consistency.
Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.