Baked Pears With Rosemary Gorgonzola Cheese And Port Recipes

ROASTED ROSEMARY-GORGONZOLA PEARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Cut thin slice from rounded side of pear halves, if necessary, so they'll rest level in pan. In 13x9-inch pan, arrange pear halves, cut sides up. Brush tops of pears with oil; sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary.
• Roast uncovered 15 minutes. Fill cored hollow of each pear half with 2 teaspoons cheese. Roast uncovered 10 to 15 minutes longer or until pears are tender and cheese is soft. Sprinkle with walnuts. Drizzle with additional olive oil if desired.

BAKED PEARS WITH ROSEMARY, GORGONZOLA CHEESE AND PORT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Sprinkle each pear half with brown sugar and rosemary, dividing evenly. Arrange pears in glass pie plate. Bake until tender and golden, about 20 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle half of cheese over each. Bake until cheese melts, approximately 5 minutes.
• Place pears on plates. Spoon 1 tablespoon of Port over each and serve.

ROASTED PEARS WITH BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Peel the pears and slice them lengthwise into halves. With a small sharp paring knife and a melon baller, remove the core and seeds from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Trim a small slice away from the rounded sides of each pear half so that they will sit in the baking dish without wobbling. Toss the pears with some lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Arrange them, core side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold the pears snugly.
• Gently toss the crumbled blue cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture among the pears, mounding it on top of the indentation.
• In the same small bowl, combine the apple cider, port, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over and around the pears. Bake the pears, basting occasionally with the cider mixture, for 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside until warm or at room temperature.
• Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the basting liquid in a large bowl. Divide the arugula among 6 plates and top each with a pear half. Drizzle each pear with some of the basting liquid, sprinkle with salt, and serve warm.