Poached Seckel Pears with Stilton Cheese and Lemon Spice Sauce
Seckel pears are tasty and small—the perfect size for holding just enough Stilton to satisfy. Buy them only if they are ripe; otherwise, use Bosc or Bartlett. For Golden Door guests, I pipe the cheese mixture into the pear with a pastry bag, but at home, I spoon it into the fruit. If you can’t find Stilton cheese, use another variety of bleu cheese.
6 Seckel pears
1 1/2 C. pear juice or apple juice
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 clove
1 small stick cinnamon
1 tsp. arrowroot powder dissolved in 2 T. water
3 ounces grated Stilton cheese
2 ounces low-fat cream cheese
1/2 C. fresh raspberries
6 sprigs fresh mint
Peel the pears, starting 1/4 inch from the stem, leaving the top 1/4 inch unpeeled with the stem attached. Using a small melon-baller or sharp knife, carefully core the pear from the bottom, making a small hollow area for the cheese. Combine the pear juice or apple juice, lemon juice, clove and cinnamon stick in a deep ceramic saucepan with a cover. Place the pears, stem up, into the saucepan, set the pan over medium heat, cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove the pears from the pan, reserving the poaching liquid, and let cool. Strain the poaching liquid into a small saucepan and set it over medium-high heat. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the liquid reduces in volume by one-third. To thicken the sauce, stir in the dissolved arrowroot and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm. Combine the grated Stilton and cream cheese in a small mixing bowl; mix until the cheeses take on a creamy consistency. Spoon about 2 to 3 tsp. of the mixture into the hollow in the bottom of each pear. (Or, if you wish, transfer the cheese mousse to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe the cheese into the hollow in the bottom of each pear.) Place a filled pear on each dessert plate. Ladle the sauce around the pear and garnish with fresh raspberries and mint sprigs.