Gorgonzola Pears
The pears will hold together and stand up better if they are not cored.
Ingredients:
3 oz. Gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon brandy
4 ripe bartlett pears
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (3-0z.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup dairy sour cream
4 tablespoon coarsely chopped pecans
4 whole cloves
4 sprigs fresh mint
Procedure:
in a small bowl, use a fork to blend Gorgonzola cheese and brandy until smooth. Set aside 15 minutes. Peels pears and cut in half. Brush all surfaces of pears halves with lemon juice; set aside. Beat cream cheese into Gorgonzola cheese mixture until smooth. Fold in sour cream. Spread 1/4 of the cheese mixture on 4 pear halves. Top with remaining pear halves. Filling will push out around edges. Press chopped pecans into filling. Stand pears large-end down on a serving dish. Top each pear with a whole clove to represent the stem and a mint sprig to represent leaves. Serve at once or cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate no longer than 3 hours before serving. Makes 4 servings.
