Poached pears with creamed gorgonzola and a port reduction

Pears and blue cheese are a natural combination, as is port and cheese and not to mention port and pears. So I thought to myself, why not to try put them all together in a dessert and cheese combination. I tried this recipe recently on some friends at a dinner party and thankfully it got rave reviews. There was initial uncertainty on the creamed blue cheese, but paired with everything else it worked well providing an interesting sharp contrast to the sweetness of the sauce and pears. 

2 pears peeled and left whole

200g sugar

1l water

150ml port

150g gorgonzola dolce 

100g double cream whipped

To poach the pears

Place the sugar and water in a sauce pan on a medium heat and allow the sugar to dissolve

Add the pears and cook for about 20 – 30 minutes until slightly soft
You want a soft texture but not too soft, test the pears continuously during the cooking using a knife, it should pierce easily when ready

Remove the pears and place on a plate to cool

To make the port reduction

Place the port in a pan and add 100ml of the poaching water from the pears
Bring to the boil and allow the mixture to reduce to a third of its original volume, the mixture should be relatively thick

For the gorgonzola cream

Soften the cheese by beating it with a wooden spoon or using a mixer
Add the softened cheese to the whipped cream and mix well

To serve

Allow half a pear per person, make sure to remove the core from the middle of the pear
Serve with a dessertspoon of the creamed cheese and drizzle over the port reduction

Asparagus and ham Frittata

My other favourite time of year is here again, the asparagus season! I do have two rules about asparagus, I will only eat it in season and I will only eat it if it comes from the country where I'm living (at the time). If I can get local then that is even better (I apply the rule to most veg and meats if possible). 

In the UK the mainstream crop is green asparagus and up until recently here in the Netherlands it wasn't that widely available, so I had to make do with white. White asparagus is sweeter and pairs well with cheesier sauces and salty ham or bacon. My preference though is for green and I always kick the season off by steaming it and serving it with nothing but butter and salt. Other favourites are of course hollandaise sauce, poached duck/hen eggs or parma ham and balsamic with parmesan.

6 eggs

4 stalks asparagus peeled and quartered

50g cheese of choice grated

4 slices ham
10ml oil for frying

salt and pepper to taste

Beat six eggs in a bowl to make an omelette base, season with the salt and pepper
Place the oil in a frying pan and bring it up to a low heat
Pour the eggs into the pan
Sprinkle the cheese over the egg mix
Add some sliced ham to cover the cheese and place the asparagus on top of the ham
Place the asparagus on top
Once you have finished the assembly, take off the heat and then place under a hot grill for 5 minutes

For those of you who would prefer a vegetarian dish, you can omit the ham.