Pear and Creamy Blue Cheese Sauce with Pasta

The key is using a very creamy blue cheese or a gorgonzola that has been aged into creaminess.

In a large skillet melt:

• ¼ cup butter

Add

• 4 pears (firm is better) cut into strips about 1/3 inch thick (core of course)

Cook pears until they are tender, then gently remove them from the skillet into a bowl.

In the same skillet with the butter add

• 1 Tb fresh chopped rosemary or 1 tsp. dried chopped rosemary

Cook until it’s fragrant.

Add

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 oz. creamy gorgonzola or other CREAMY blue cheese
• ¾ cup good parmesan, freshly grated
• ½ cup  mascarpone

Cook for 5 minutes and set aside.

If you don’t have mascarpone, make a roux in a separate skillet with:

• • • • ¼ cup butter
      • 3 Tb flour

Cook for at least 5 minutes over med-low heat then add

• • • • 1 to 1-1/2 cups of ½ & ½

Cook for an additional 5 minutes to create a thickened white sauce.

Add this white sauce back into the Cheese and chicken stock mixture and cook for the noted 5 minutes.

 

Prepare the Pasta

Cook 1 lb. of thin pasta (e.g. fettuccine, spaghetti), al dente, and drain.  Don’t put oil on the pasta or the sauce won’t stick!

Using a very large sauté pan (enough to hold 1 lb. of cooked pasta and the sauce) toss the cheese mixture and the pasta together over heat.

I hold back some of the pasta when I first toss it together.  I don’t want it to be light on the sauce.  The pasta will absorb some of the sauce as it heats in the frying pan.   Add the rest of the pasta as the sauce allows.

Add the cooked pears at the last minute to warm them through.

Plate the pasta and top with toasted walnuts and plenty of fresh black pepper.

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