Servings: 8

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

12 large firm pears
1 bottle dry red wine
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Savory Filling:
3.5 oz   Roquefort cheese, crumbled
7 oz Tnuva Goat Cheese, finely chopped
4 tablespoons sesame seeds, roasted
½ cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
Salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

1. Peel and halve the pears but be sure to keep the stem connected. Using a teaspoon or tablespoon, core the pear and create a hollow for the cheese filling.

2.  Place pears in a pot and add wine, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil and cook for two minutes. Remove from heat and allow the pears to steep in the liquid.

3. With a slotted spoon, remove the peers from the pot and place on a paper towel. Do not discard liquid. Set pears aside, and prepare the sauce.

4. Return the pot to heat and bring to a boil over a high heat. Continue cooking until the liquid has reduced to ½ a cup. Remove from heat, cool, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

5.  Prepare the filling: In a medium sized bowl, mix all filling ingredients, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, place each pear on a plate, then fill the hollow with cheese mixture, forming a mound.  Top with chilled syrup and garnish with nuts.

For a slightly sweeter version, prepare pears as above, but instead of adding salt, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. Serve as above.