A sweet treat with a little bite
Slices of fruit and slices of cheese are fine, but for the holidays, I thought I'd try something a little more festive. Of course, I had to try it out a few days ahead of time...just in case, you know.
My current favorite cheese is Gorgonzola. It is a veined Italian blue cheese, made from unskimmed cow's or goat's milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a "bite" from its blue veining. The veins are penicillium glaucum...a natural antibiotic.
And, at 99 calories and ounce, it's a lot of bite for the calorie.
Pears are plentiful in the store right now and I much prefer them to apples.
So, I pulled the two together in a really simple, quick recipe that will be bright addition to your holiday appetizers or just a special snack for any day.
Easy Pears and Gorgonzola
4 pears, chopped
2 cups of Marsala Wine
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of lemon zest
4 ounces of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
3 tablespoons of cream cheese
- In a medium pan combine the wine, the sugar and the lemon zest. Bring it all to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add pears and cook 10 minutes or so - until fork tender.
- Put the pears on a serving dish.
- Bring the wine mixture to a boil, cook for 6 minutes until the liquid thickens. Pour it over the pears and sprinkle with the cheese.
Lacto-vegetarian.
