Marsala honey pears with Gorgonzola & walnuts
A dessert and a cheese course all at once, solving the problem of which goes first. This is really delicious Autumn dish. Make sure you serve the creamy gorgonzola at room temperature. Marsala is a dessert wine from Sicily which is relatively easy to find, it also works well with figs – see Roast Figs with Marsala.
Wine Suggestion: naturally the Marsala from the recipe is a great match, look out for Florio or Pellegrino amongst others. Alternately a really good Sauternes emphasises the honey or a white Maury brings out the pears and all will work well with the Gorgonzola.
Marsala Honey Pears with Gorgonzola – serves 6-8
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 pears, about 500g in total, cored and cut into eighths
- 3 tbsp Marsala
- 2 tbsp honey
- 50g walnut halves
- 500g ripe Gorgonzola – keep in a cool place but avoid putting it in the fridge if at all possible
Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the pears for 3 minutes per side.
Mix the Marsala and honey together, add to the pears and allow the mixture to bubble furiously, then transfer to a plate.
Add the walnut halves to the juices left in the pan and stir-fry for about a minute or until browned and sticky. Remove from the pan and scatter over the pears. Serve with the creamy slab of Gorgonzola on the side.
(Original recipe from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson, Chatto & Windus, 2007.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 