Pears Stuffed with Roquefort and Walnuts in Pastry
3/4 cup chilled, crumbled Roquefort cheese
6 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs, lightly toasted and cooled
1/3 cup finely chopped and toasted walnuts
4 small, firm Anjou pears with stems
1 slice firm white sandwich bread
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Preheat oven to 425F.
• Mash together cheese, bread crumbs, walnuts, and pepper to taste with a fork. Freeze mixture just until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Scoop out center of bottom of each pear with large end of a melon-ball cutter, then continue to remove core to make a 1/4-cup cavity. Fill each cavity evenly with cheese mixture and seal bottom with a small piece of bread.
• Roll out pastry 1/16 inch thick into a 15-inch square on a lightly floured surface with a flouered rolling pin. Cut dough into quarters to make 4 equal pieces.
• Stand one pear in center of a pastry square and brush pear all over with egg. Bring one corner of pastry toward top of pear, pressing it against pear to adhere. Repeat with adjacent corner, then generously brush extending pastry fold with egg before pressing closely against side of pear. Repeat process with remaining 2 corners. Fold top points of pastry 1/4 inch down (see photo)
and brush with egg. Transfer wrapped pear to a buttered large shallow baking pan and chill while wrapping remaining pears. Keep pears at least 5 inches apart on the baking pan.
• Chill wrapped pears 30 minutes.
• Bake pears in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until fruit is just tender when pierced with a knife and pastry is golden and cooked through. Cool pears at least 15 minutes before serving warm or at least room temperature.
