Port Poached Pears with Gorgonzola and Hazelnuts

This versatile dish can be an appetizer, but I prefer to serve it as a cheese course. The spicy sweetness of the port soaked pears has a lovely counterpoint in the Gorgonzola. It’s all about flavor with this recipe!

Serves 4 (Note: there are only 2 pears used in the demonstation photos)

Ingredients:
4 pears
1 lemon
1 cup of port
1 tsp (5 ml) crushed peppercorns
4 crushed cardamom pods
2 cloves
½ cup (125 ml) toasted hazelnuts
6 oz (175 g) Gorgonzola
Salad Greens

Directions:

• Peel, halve and core
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 C). Peel, halve and core the pears.
• Squeeze lemon juice
• Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the pears. This will stop them from browning while you heat the wine.
• Pour port over pears
• Place pears in an ovenproof dish.
• Bring the port and spices to a boil, then pour over pears, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
• Uncover, turn and continue to bake another 10 minutes or until cooked.

Presentation:

Remove the pears to a serving dish, pour over any remaining liquid, and allow to cool at room temperature.
Serve with nuts, cheese and salad greens if desired.

Wine Pairing Suggestion: 10 year old tawny port, Chilled