Excerpted from The Golden Door Cooks Light & Easy by Michel Stroot (Gibbs-Smith 2003)

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Seckel pears are tasty and small—the perfect size for holding just enough Stilton to satisfy. Buy them only if they are ripe; otherwise, use Bosc or Bartlett. For Golden Door guests, I pipe the cheese mixture into the pear with a pastry bag, but at home, I spoon it into the fruit. If you can't find Stilton cheese, use another variety of bleu cheese.

6 Seckel pears
1 1⁄2 cups pear juice or apple juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 clove
1 small stick cinnamon
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
3 ounces grated Stilton cheese
2 ounces low-fat cream cheese
1⁄2 cup fresh raspberries
6 sprigs fresh mint

Peel the pears, starting 1⁄4 inch from the stem, leaving the top 1⁄4 inch unpeeled with the stem attached.

Using a small melon-baller or sharp knife, carefully core the pear from the bottom, making a small hollow area for the cheese.

Combine the pear juice or apple juice, lemon juice, clove and cinnamon stick in a deep ceramic saucepan with a cover. Place the pears, stem up, into the saucepan, set the pan over medium heat, cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove the pears from the pan, reserving the poaching liquid, and let cool.

Strain the poaching liquid into a small saucepan and set it over medium-high heat. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the liquid reduces in volume by one-third. To thicken the sauce, stir in the dissolved arrowroot and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Combine the grated Stilton and cream cheese in a small mixing bowl; mix until the cheeses take on a creamy consistency. Spoon about 2 to 3 teaspoons of the mixture into the hollow in the bottom of each pear. (Or, if you wish, transfer the cheese mousse to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe the cheese into the hollow in the bottom of each pear.) Place a filled pear on each dessert plate. Ladle the sauce around the pear and garnish with fresh raspberries and mint sprigs.

Courtesy of The Golden Door