roasted stuffed pear à la niçoise

this was a discovery i made completely on accident and more out of necessity to use some ingredients before they went to waste. my wonderful roommate has a habit of purchasing large family size quantities of exquisite fruit, massive vegetables, and choice cuts of great meat. then in his tender way he reminds me that i need to use his purchases. hence this recipe. i had a flat of fantastic bartlett pears and no dessert in mind. i ran to the fridge and had some brie-esque cheese, some mascarpone and sliced almonds. alright then, let's make dessert!!

ingredients:
8 medium sized semi-ripe pears (your favourite variety will work fine)
6 oz. st. andré, brie or other similar soft cheese.
4 tablespoons of mascarpone cheese or plain unflavoured yogurt.
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sliced almonds
a few drops of pure almond extract
1 lemon

pre-heat oven to 375F
using a large coring tool core out the centers of your pears without puncturing the tops of the fruit. core out about 2 times the size of the tool in order to make room for the filling. in order to get the fruit to stand and to keep the contents inside your pear take an even slice off the bottom of the pear so it will sit flat. let them sit while you prepare the filling.

let your st. andré or brie sit out to get to room temperature (do not microwave as it will make the cheese runny). once at room temperature begin by crushing the cheese and getting a smoother consistency. combine ingredients;
6 oz st. andré
2 tablespoons of mascarpone/yogurt
1/4 cup honey
a few drops of almond extract
juice of 1/4 lemon sliced from bottom of lemon (you'll see why this is important soon)
stir ingredients together to create a filling with the consistency of a thin paste add more mascarpone/yogurt to get the right consistency.
lightly fold in 2 tablespoons of crushed almonds for texture.

now comes assembly...

flip your pears upside down exposing the holes you've dug ;)
stuff them with the filling. then cover the bottom with a small square of aluminum foil being careful not to cover too much of the rest of the pear.
repeat for all eight. leave a little breathing room between all the pears. with any left over filling place in oven-safe ramekin and cook with the pears (you can use the excess for garnish). cook in a 375F oven on the top shelf for 45 minutes or until soft to the touch.

remove the pears and let rest for 5 minutes.

plating!!!! (my favorite part)

prepare you plate with a crescent shaped scrape of the excess filling. turn your pear upside down and remove foil. gently place on plate at largest point in the crescent shaped scrape. drizzle the honey over the pear lightly to give the appearance of dew. cut a horizontal slice from your lemon, cut from the center out (a radius cut) turn the ends away from each other and place in void on plate. tuck a little sprig of mint and a sprinkle of the sliced almonds and your dish is plated!!

ENJOY!