Pears and Stilton

This is from 1000 Great Recipes. “Stilton is the classic British blue cheese, but you could use blue Cheshire instead, or even Gorgonzola.” Posting for ZWT3. From stiltoncheese.com: "Eighteenth century travellers encountering their first taste of Stilton™ cheese must have spread the word of its remarkable, mouth-pleasing flavour. Today, nearly 300 years later, Stilton is still made exclusively in the counties of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire from local milk."

• Ready In: 10 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4  ripe pears
• 3  ounces  blue Stilton cheese
• 3  tablespoons  curd cheese
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice
• 1⁄2 tablespoon poppy seed
• 1  pinch ground black pepper
•  fresh watercress leaf, to garnish

Directions

1. First make the dressing. Place the olive oil, lemon juice and poppy seeds in a screw-topped jar and shake until emulsified.
2. Cut the pears in half lengthwise, then scoop out the cores and cut away the calyx from the rounded end.
3. Beat together the Stilton, curd cheese and a little pepper.
4. Divide this mixture among the cavities in the pears.
5. Shake the dressing to mix it again, and then spoon it over the pears. Serve garnished with watercress.