Grilled Pears with Herb & Cheese Topping (featuring Laughing Cow White Cheddar Cheese)

I'd love to tell you I thought of this recipe all on my own. That it was some figment of my imagination bourne of my vast culinary experience that I just knew would hit the palate the right way.

But I'd be lying.

In truth this recipe is an amalgamation of a bunch of things I've seen: on Food Network, in magazines, at fancy dinner events. So I can't say with confidence that this was an original idea so much as I can say that I guard my food memories very well. Which, to be fair, is a skill!

This was another of the recipes we made at my Laughing Cow cooking party. Fresh off the defeat of "Pork Meatball-gate" I was feeling a bit less than confident about my recipe skills. But we forged on and I'm so glad we did because this was yummy! It's easy to make but feels gourmet. It's savory, sweet, chewy and crunchy - it hits all the pleasure zones!

Grilled Pear with Herb & Cheese Topping
(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil + 1 tbsp. melted butter
• 2 pears, cut in half, cored and seeded
• 1/3 c. ricotta cheese
• 4 Laughing Cow White Cheddar cheese wedges
• 1 tbsp. basil (we used fresh leaves from Margaret's plant), rough chopped
• 4 tbsp. sugar-free caramel sauce
• 1/3 c. sliced almonds

Directions:

Combine olive oil and butter in a bowl then, using a food brush, brush the cut side of the pear and grill about 7 minutes or until tender and it's developed grill marks.

In a bowl, combine ricotta and Laughing Cow cheeses and mix thoroughly. Add basil and mix again. Refrigerate mixture until ready to serve.

Set a dry skillet (meaning no non-stick cooking spray) over medium heat and allow it to get hot. Add almond slices and gently toss about 3 minutes or until slices darken and you can smell the almonds. Remove from heat.

To assemble the dessert, place a pear on a plate, fill the cavity with the ricotta/cheddar mixture, drizzle with caramel and top with toasted almonds!

This was one of those desserts that was really complex and I loved it. The basil really stood out and tasted fresh against the slight salty-ness of the cheese, which complimented the caramel and the almonds gave the thing a "pie crust" kind of feel.

My advice? Make this next time you have someone over to dinner. It looks gorgeous, it tastes divine and it will put you squarely in the dinner host(ess) hall of fame!