I love pears cooked in some sort of fruity liquid. They still hold their shape (which is perfect since these are stuffed with cheesecake), yet they become so soft that you can eat them like a pudding!
Ingredients:
3 pears, cut in half and cored
1 cinnamon stick
1 c. 100% cranberry juice
1 c. 100% orange juice
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Cheesecake filling:
1 c. light cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 c. dried cranberries (Craisins)
1/2 c. sliced almonds
Place the pears in a very large saucepan. Add the cinnamon stick, juices, and scrape out the vanilla bean seeds and add both the seeds and the stems. Bring the pan to a boil and then reduce the heat. Cover the pan with a lid and let simmer for around 20 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese, vanilla and almond extracts until you have a smooth creamy consistency. Stir in the cranberries and almonds.
Spoon the pears very carefully into a tupperware container in a single layer. Cover and refrigerate them until they are fully cool to the touch (at least a half an hour). While they are cooling, boil the liquid mixture until it is reduced to half the amount and is thicker in consistency. Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean from the liquid mixture.
To serve, fill each cavity of the pears with the cheesecake mixture. If the cheesecake mixture is still too thick, add a few tablespoons of the reduced cooking liquid. Place the pear on your serving plate and drizzle with the sauce.
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