Caramelised pear napoleon with blue cheese & pecan
(serves 3)

50 g pecan nuts (roughly chopped)
3 medium pears (firm)
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp runny honey
100 g blue cheese (I used gorgonzola)

First, toast the pecans in a dry pan (without oil) until they're browning and fragrant. Remove from the pan to prevent burning and set aside until ready to serve.
Cut the pears lengthways into slices about half a centimeter thick, leaving the stem intact. Carefully and sparingly remove the core from every slice. Keep them lying on top of each other to prevent from browning.
Heat a tbsp of butter in a pan, then add the slices of one pear. Try to keep them in the right order, to enable you to put them back together neatly.
Cook for ca. 4 minutes, then turn over and add 1 tbsp honey to the pan. Cook for another 4 minutes until soft and browning. Turn off the heat.
Assemble the napoleon by alternating layers of pear, crumbled blue cheese & pecans, then drizzling with the caramelised juices in the pan.
Repeat with the other pears.
Serve immediately or leave to rest at room temperature until ready to serve.

The Passionate Cook