“Food on the Hill” by Sue York
This week’s recipe:
Wine Poached Stuffed Pears
Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.com4 pears, all about the same size and stands well. They need to be ripe, but still firm
1 cup white sugar
2 cups sweet red wine
2 oz softened cream cheese
1/4 cup of well chopped walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.comCut off the cap of each pear. Using a round core cutter and a 1/4 teaspoon measure spoon and a thin sharp knife remove the core of each pear very carefully. Do not cut the pear all the way through the bottom. Very carefully peel the outside of each of the pears and tops with a knife.
Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.comPlace wine and white sugar in 3 quart sauce pan, heat until sugar is dissolved. Place pears and tops into pan and cook on very low heat for about 50 minutes. Move the pears carefully around in the pan as they cook to make sure that all surfaces get cooked with the wine.
Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.comAfter the pears and caps have taken on the wine color and have softened a little, remove from pan and set aside. Reserve 1 cup of liquid from the poaching wine dispose of the rest of the liquid. Put the reserved liquid back into the pan and cook on medium until the liquid has reduced by 2/3’s and has become a sauce for the top of the finished dish.
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.comYou can put a small slit in the walnut bag to let the air out and crush them (in the bag) with a rolling pin. Mix together the brown sugar, walnuts, and cream cheese.
Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.comStuff the mixture with your finger in the cavities in the pears. Place the stuffed pears and tops on greased aluminum foil on a flat pan. Cook for 35 minutes.
Wine Poached Stuffed Pears
Photo by Sue York/ladailypost.comPlace one pear on a plate and put the top on and spoon over some of the sauce. You can also put this over some ice cream if you want. Serve with a knife, fork and spoon – all will come in handy.