Caramelized Pears With Blue Cheese And Caramel Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
3 barely ripe pears, halved,seeds removed and 1/4 inch trimmed off the bottom of each pear half so it will stand upright
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 pinch salt
3 ounces gorgonzola dolce blue cheese, cut into 6 attractive pieces.

Preparation

Place the water in a 12-inch nonstick skillet and pour the sugar into the center of the pan, taking care not to let the crystals adhere to the sides of the pan.
Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture is bubbling wildly.
Add the pears to the skillet, cut-side down, cover, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook until the pears are nearly tender (a paring knife inserted into the center of the pears feels slight resistance), 13 to 15 minutes.
Uncover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the sauce is golden brown and the cut sides of the pears are partly caramelized, 3 to 5 minutes.
Pour the salt and heavy cream around the pears and cook, shaking the pan back and forth, until the sauce is a smooth, deep caramel color and the cut sides of the pears are beautifully golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and using tongs, carefully remove the pears from the pan and place cut-side up on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.
Cool slightly.
Pour the sauce remaining in the pan into a liquid measuring cup.
Carefully (the pears will still be hot) stand each pear half upright on an individual plate and arrange a wedge of the blue cheese beside it.
Drizzle the plate and some of the pear with the caramel sauce.
Serve immediately.