Baked Pears with Walnuts and Gorgonzola

This recipe for pears from "The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook" might be the ultimate way to prepare them.  Roasted in butter, topped with Gorgonzola cheese and sugary walnuts and broiled…really special!  I used a melon baller to core the pears as I do when I can them, and used foil in the pan to make cleanup easy.                     

Baked Pears with Walnuts and Gorgonzola

  2        Large  Pears

  1 ½    Tablespoons  Butter -- softened

     ¼     Teaspoon  Salt

     ¼     Teaspoon  White Pepper

             Dash  Nutmeg

  2 ¼     Ounces  Walnuts -- (1/2 cup), chopped and toasted

  2        Tablespoons  Brown Sugar

  1         Tablespoon  Butter -- melted

     ¼      Cup  Gorgonzola Cheese -- crumbled

Peel pears; cut in half and core.  If needed, slice 1/4 inch from rounded side to make pears sit flat.

Brush pears with softened butter; and place, cored side sown, in a buttered 9" pan.

Bake at 450° for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven, turn pears over, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Bake 10-15 minutes longer until soft and lightly browned.

Meanwhile, combine walnuts, brown sugar and melted butter in a small bowl, stirring to coat nuts.  Top pear halves with walnuts and cheese.  Broil pears 5 1/2" from heat until cheese melts.

4 Servings