Pears In Honey And Pine Nut Caramel With Artisanal Cheese Recipes

PEARS IN HONEY AND PINE NUT CARAMEL WITH ARTISANAL CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook unsalted butter in large nonstick skillet over mediumhigh heat until beginning to brown. Add pear halves, cut side down, to skillet. Drizzle honey over pears and swirl pan slightly to blend butter and honey. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until pears are tender when pierced with paring knife, swirling skillet occasionally and adding a few tablespoons water to skillet if caramel sauce turns deep amber before pears are tender, about 12 minutes.
• Transfer pears, cut side up, to serving platter. Top pears with cheese. Return skillet with caramel sauce to medium-high heat; add pine nuts to skillet and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Cook until sauce in skillet is brown and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Spoon sauce over pears and serve.
• WHAT TO DRINK:
• Finish this meal on a sweet note with a late-harvest dessert wine. The honeyed pear and quince flavors of the 2006 "Le Vol des Anges" ($30) from California's Bonny Doon Vineyard are perfect with this dessert. Plus, the Roussanne grapes the wine is made from are produced using biodynamic practices.

CARAMEL PEARS WITH ROSEMARY, HONEY AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Choose a baking dish or roasting pan large enough to hold pears in one layer, or use 2 pans. Scatter star anise, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds and cloves on bottom of dish.
• Put pears in a large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, raisins, rum and lemon juice. Coat pears evenly with mixture. Transfer to baking dish, cut-side down, in one layer. Dot with butter.
• Bake, uncovered, until pears are soft and well caramelized, about 45 minutes. Remove pears from oven, and let them sit at room temperature. Shortly before serving, drizzle the pears with honey, and sprinkle them with rosemary leaves and chopped walnuts. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve warm with plenty of sauce from the baking pan.

QUICK & EASY CARAMELIZED PEARS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add pears, one cut side down, and cook until browned, then reduce heat to medium and cook 3 minutes. Turn pears to other cut side and cook 4 minutes. Add sugar and 1 tablespoon water, swirling pan to combine. Turn pears skin side down and cook until sauce is thickened slightly, 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and pinch of salt. Serve warm with ice cream.

CARAMELIZED HONEY-BAKED PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a baking dish. Cut a small cone from the bottom of each pear with a paring knife, and place a teaspoon of honey inside. Peel a strip of skin away from the top of each pear, just below the stem, but leave the stems intact. Then place the pears bottom side down in the baking dish. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the pears. Pour in water until it reaches 1/3 of the way up the side of the pears, and place the cloves in the water.
• Set the baking dish on a sheet pan, place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then turn down the heat to 350 degrees and bake for two hours more, basting every 15 minutes with the liquid in the pan. From time to time, lay down the pears down in the liquid so they are thoroughly moistened and cook evenly. After two hours their skins should be shriveled and caramelized.
• Remove the pears from the oven, transfer to a platter or bowls and allow to cool. Place the liquid in the baking dish in a saucepan, and reduce to a syrup. Pour over the pears, and serve or chill and serve cold.

HERBED CHEESE WITH PEARS, PINE NUTS, AND HONEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the ricotta in a fine sieve set over a bowl; let the excess liquid drain, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, spread the nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven until lightly browned, tossing occasionally, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool.
• In a food processor or medium bowl, mix together the goat cheese and drained ricotta until creamy and thoroughly combined. Stir in the thyme, parsley, and lemon zest; set aside.
• Slice each pear into 6 wedges. Divide the herbed cheese among 4 serving plates, spooning it into mounds. Arrange 3 pear wedges next to the cheese on each plate. Sprinkle with nuts; drizzle about 2 teaspoons honey over each portion of cheese and pears. Serve immediately.
• Fit to eat recipe
• (Per serving)
• Calories: 320
• Fat: 17g
• Cholesterol: 37mg
• Carbohydrate: 28g
• Sodium: 229mg
• Protein: 16g
• Fiber: 2g