Caramelized Pears With Blue Cheese And Caramel Sauce

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 barely ripe pears, halved,seeds removed and 1/4 inch trimmed off the bottom of each pear half so it will stand upright
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 ounces gorgonzola dolce blue cheese, cut into 6 attractive pieces.

Recipe

• 1 place the water in a 12-inch nonstick skillet and pour the sugar into the center of the pan, taking care not to let the crystals adhere to the sides of the pan.
• 2 bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture is bubbling wildly.
• 3 add the pears to the skillet, cut-side down, cover, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook until the pears are nearly tender (a paring knife inserted into the center of the pears feels slight resistance), 13 to 15 minutes.
• 4 uncover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the sauce is golden brown and the cut sides of the pears are partly caramelized, 3 to 5 minutes.
• 5 pour the salt and heavy cream around the pears and cook, shaking the pan back and forth, until the sauce is a smooth, deep caramel color and the cut sides of the pears are beautifully golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
• 6 remove the pan from the heat and using tongs, carefully remove the pears from the pan and place cut-side up on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.
• 7 cool slightly.
• 8 pour the sauce remaining in the pan into a liquid measuring cup.
• 9 carefully (the pears will still be hot) stand each pear half upright on an individual plate and arrange a wedge of the blue cheese beside it.
• 10 drizzle the plate and some of the pear with the caramel sauce.
• 11 serve immediately.