This is a very simple but very impressive recipe. You can serve baked pears as an appetizer, a main course or even at the end of a meal, leaving everyone speechless because it’s a beautiful dish to present and delicious to eat. The contrast between the sweetness and crunchiness of the pears as well as the creaminess of the intense and herb-like taste from the gorgonzola makes it an extraordinary dish which in itself is poor and not overelaborate. It goes without saying that the quality of the raw materials understandably make the difference when there are few ingredients. Our advice to make this dish therefore is to start by careful and specific grocery shopping.
Baked pears filled with cheese : The Recipe
Cut the pears in half lengthwise without peeling them and with a small knife take out the central part that contains the core and seeds. Season with honey and pepper and bake for about 15 minutes at 180°. Take the pears out of the oven and put in each one a teaspoon of gorgonzola. Bake for a few more minutes and then serve with chestnut honey and hazelnut grains.
Which pear to choose
Williams pears and kaisers are the best to prepare this dish because they maintain the cooking well without losing their consistency. Don't choose them too ripe or bruised though, otherwise you risk them breaking or blackening during cooking. The skin that is the fibrous part of the fruit remains and should be eaten along with everything else.
Which cheese to choose
We have suggested you use a sweet gorgonzola, but if you love strong flavors you can also opt for a Roquefort, a French sheep's milk cheese with an herbal and intense flavor. To add more creaminess to the filling you can add a part of mascarpone cheese. If you want to make it light and delicate, use ricotta and parmesan instead of gorgonzola. If you want a more "melted" topping, chop up some taleggio and fontina cheese with a knife. In practice, although you can fill the pear with any cheese you fancy, gorgonzola and all blue cheeses are the ideal combination.
The importance of honey
In addition to the sweetness of the pears, adding a little honey is vital to counteracting the taste of the cheese. The honey caramelizes the pears slightly by penetrating the pulp and making them even tastier. Put a little bit on raw pears before cooking and more before serving. We have recommended a chestnut honey because it has a particularly aromatic and strong aftertaste that goes well with cheese, but if you use a delicate filling opt for an acacia honey.
A little crunchiness
A little crunch is always welcome when a dish is super soft or creamy like this. Hazelnuts go well with pears and cheese, but also walnuts and almonds. You can use a mixture and we recommend toasting them before coarsely chopping them and sprinkling them over the pears, this way they release all their aromas.