Create this warm and welcoming dish to celebrate the season’s best flavors and impress dinner guests. This elegant but easy-to-prepare recipe features mouthwatering fall fruit and blue cheese stuffed baked pears.
Blue Cheese Stuffed Baked Pears
Ingredients:
- 6 Seckel pears
- 4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 14 sheets phyllo dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 pinch sugar and kosher salt
- 1½ tsp. additional granulated sugar (for baking)
For stuffing:
- 2 large black mission figs
- ¼ cup toasted Oregon hazelnuts
- 2 tbsp. chopped dates½ tsp. sugar
- Fresh orange zest
- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/16 tsp. ground clove
- Garnish with blue cheese and fresh figs
Instructions:
- Prepare pears in batches of three for uniform cooking in the microwave.
- Peel pears and add lemon juice immediately to prevent browning.
- Next, add sugar, coat evenly, and place in a covered bowl.
- Microwave on high power for 2 minutes and leave covered for an additional 5 minutes
- .Carefully unwrap pears and chill; meanwhile, gently mix together the fall fruits.
- Once the pears have cooled, stuff them with the fall fruits and freeze upright for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough onto a cutting board and lightly brush with butter.
- Add another sheet on top and repeat until the stack is 7 sheets thick.
- Sprinkle with salt and sugar.
- Cut the phyllo sheet lengthways into 2½-inch strips.
- Gently roll the phyllo around the pear using additional butter as necessary.
- On a lined sheet or pan, place 6 evenly spaced, ¼ teaspoon mounds of the reserved granulated sugar.
- Place each pear onto the portioned sugar and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
- Serve warm and garnish with blue cheese and fresh figs.
