Cranberry-Orange Cheesecake Pears

Entered for Safe-keeping, from Clean Eating, Fall 2008 as a recommended Thanksgiving dessert. Make ahead notes: The cheesecake mixture can be made (without almonds) and stored under refrigeration to 3 days ahead. Pears and sauce can be made the night before and refrigerated overnight. After stuffing pears, keep refrigerated for up to 6 hours. Bring pears and sauce to room temperature before serving. Cooking and preparation times do not include refrigeration time.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 10
• Yields: 10 stuffed pears

Ingredients

• PEARS

• 10  bosc pears
• 2  cinnamon sticks
• 2  cups  100% cranberry juice
• 2  cups  orange juice
• 1  vanilla bean, split lengthwise

• CHEESECAKE STUFFING

• 1  cup light cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄8 teaspoon  almond extract (optional)
• 1⁄3 cup  unsweetened dried cranberries
• 1⁄2 cup  unsalted almonds, sliced and toasted

Directions

1. PREPARE PEARS:
2. Peel pears. Trim bottoms so that they sit flat. Using a small spoon or a melon baller, scoop out and discard cores.
3. Place pears in a very large, wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add cinnamon sticks and juices.
4. Scrape out seeds from vanilla bean and stir in; add scraped bean husks, too.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer, occasionally turning pears over carefully to ensure even cooking, until almost tender but still a little firm, about 20-25 minutes.
6. PREPARE CHEESECAKE STUFFING:
7. In a bowl, stir cream cheese with vanilla extract, ginger and almond extract (if using) until mixed. If the mixture is too thick to stir easily, add a few spoonfuls of hot pear cooking liquid. (The sauce mixture up to this point may be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.).
8. Stir in cranberries and almonds.
9. STUFF PEARS:
10. Carefully spoon pears onto a large platter. Cover and refrigerate to cool completely.
11. Boil remaining pear liquid in pan, stirring often, until it reduces to 1/2 cup. The sauce will foam and bubble toward the end of cooking, so be sure to stir often.
12. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon sticks and vanilla husks. (Up to this point, pears and sauce can be made the night before.).
13. To serve, fill pears with cream cheese mixture. (Stuffed pears may be refrigerated up to 6 hours before serving. Allow pears and sauce to come to room temperature before serving.).
14. Place on plates and spoon sauce over the top.