I don’t need a sweet ending….so this works for me!!! Cheese course and dessert all in one. Warm pears and ginger snap crumbles drizzled with caramel sauce play well against the creamy, earthy cheese. A hint of thyme is added to the finishing sauce for a woodsy accent. This dessert is a perfect accompaniment to any seasonal entrée.
Caramel Roasted Pears With Cheese (Adapted from the Josh Habiger and Erik Anderson/ WSJ)
Serves 4
1 small (10-12 ounce ) wheel soft cheese like triple cream brie, room temperature
4 ginger snap cookies, crumbled
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 ripe pears (Bartlett or other soft-fleshed variety), cored and halved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Divide cheese and crumbled cookies evenly among four plates. Set a small pan over medium heat. Once hot, add oil. Season pears with salt and pepper. Place pears, skin side up, in pan. Once surfaces of pears are caramelized, about 5 minutes, flip pears and add butter and thyme to pan. Cook pears, constantly basting with butter, until warmed through and just fork tender, about 4 minutes. Place one pear half over cheese on each plate. Add honey and vinegar to pan with thyme and browned butter. Cook over medium heat until sauce begins to bubble aggressively, about 1 minute. Discard thyme and stir sauce until it darkens and thickens, about 2 minutes. Drizzle caramel sauce over pears. Serve.
