Roasted Pears With Blue Cheese, Cranberry And Walnuts 

Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese, Cranberry and Walnuts

At this time of year I always have an abundance of cheese and I look for non-heavy dishes to create. This recipe has been adapted slightly from Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. One of my foodie heroines. She always has plenty of tasty foodie ideas and is an inspiration in the kitchen.

This recipe uses up left over stilton and is super tasty. Serve as a starter for 6 people or as a light lunch for 3.

Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese, Cranberry and Walnuts
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Total Time
45 min
Total Time
45 min
  1. 3 ripe but firm pears
  2. Freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
  3. 3 ounces coarsely crumbled blue cheese such as Dorset Blue Vinney or pStilton
  4. 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  5. 1/4 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped
  6. 1/2 cup apple cider
  7. 3 tablespoons port
  8. 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  9. 1/4 cup good olive oil
  10. 3 handfuls of salad leaves
  11. Salt
  1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C/Gas 5 Peel the pears and cut them into halves. With a small sharp knife remove the core and seeds from each pear, leaving small hole for the filling. Trim a small slice away from the rounded sides of each pear half so that they will sit in the baking dish without wobbling.
  2. Toss the pears with some lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Arrange them, core side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold the pears snugly.Gently toss the crumbled blue cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture among the pears, filling in the holes. In the same small bowl, combine the apple cider, port, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over and around the pears. Bake the pears, basting occasionally with the cider mixture, for 30 minutes, or until tender.
  3. Set aside until warm or at room temperature.Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the basting liquid in a large bowl. Divide the salad leaves among 6 plates and top each with a pear half. Drizzle each pear with some of the basting liquid and season with salt and pepper.
  1. Delicious with some crusty bread and butter to mop up the juices.
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