A perfect Winter warmer using in season pears.
Ingredients
- 400 g penne pasta (‘de cecco’ brand if possible)
- garnish
- 100 g cashel blue cheese
- 25 g cashel blue reserved for garnish
- 300 ml double cream
- 50 g rocket (chopped roughly)
- 1 leek washed and sliced finely
- 25 g roasted hazelnuts (crushed)
- 25 ml extra virgin olive oil
- drop of sherry vinegar
- fresh pepper
- for poached pears
- 4 williams’s pears (peel and cored)
- 600 ml red wine
- 100 g sugar
- 1 orange “zest and juice”
- 1 clove
- 0.5 cinnamon stick
Method
- Heat the red wine with the other ingredients. Place the pears into the liquor and bring to the boil. Simmer until the pears are tender.
- Leave for 24 hours if possible. Cut the pears into large dice.
- To serve
- Sweat the leeks in the olive oil with a pinch of salt. Add the cream and bring to the boil. Crumble the Cashel blue whisking until smooth.
- Cook the penne pasta in seasoned boiling water until al dente. Bind the pasta with the sauce adding a drop of sherry vinegar.
- Add the rocket and pears. Taste – season with fresh pepper. Divide into four warm bowls. Place the remaining Cashel cheese onto the bowls with the hazelnuts.
