Roasted Pears over Mascarpone Polenta with Red Wine Caramel Sauce

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Ingredients

  • 2-3 Stemilt Comice pears, peeled if desired, cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 1 tbsp melted butter
  • 1/2 cup coarse ground cornmeal (polenta)
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 4 oz mascarpone cheese
  • Pinch freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split
  • 1 tbsp butter

Roasted pears are served over mascarpone polenta with a red wine and caramel reduction sauce.

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  • Yield
    1 serving
  • Prep time
  • Cook time
  • Total time
  • Cuisine
    European, American
  • In Category
    Dessert
  • Level
    Moderate

Instructions

For polenta:

  1. Heat a 4 quart pan over medium-high heat and add the water, sugar, and salt.
  2. Bring to a boil and whisk in the polenta.
  3. Lower heat and let cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring often, making sure to get into the corners of the pan so the polenta doesn’t burn on the bottom. The polenta will be cooked when it is very thick and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.
  4. When polenta has cooked through, taste (careful - it will be very hot), and add more salt or sugar, to taste.
  5. Stir in the mascarpone cheese and pinch of nutmeg.
  6. Keep warm until ready to serve.

For red wine caramel sauce:

  1. Place wine and sugar in a large skillet.
  2. Add the split vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer.
  3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine is reduced to about 3/4 cup.
  4. The sauce will be syrupy, but not too thick.
  5. Whisk in the butter and continue to cook for a few more minutes, being careful not to let the caramel get too dark or it will have a burnt flavor.
  6. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.

For pears:

  1. While wine is reducing and polenta is cooking, preheat oven broiler to low and place rack in upper part of oven. (If broiler only has one setting, place oven rack in the middle of the oven.)
  2. Toss the pears with the melted butter and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
  3. Broil for 5-10 minutes, or until the pears start to soften and take on a little bit of color.
  4. Remove from oven and keep warm until ready to serve.

To serve:

  1. Spoon 1/4 of the polenta into a wide, shallow bowl.
  2. Top each with an even amount of the roasted pears and drizzle the red wine caramel sauce over the top.
  3. Grate a little fresh nutmeg over each one and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving

  • Calories: 465
  • Fat Content: 18.5 g
  • Saturated Fat Content: 10 g
  • Protein Content: 2.5 g
  • Carbohydrate Content: 58.8 g
  • Fiber Content: 12.5 g
  • Sugar Content: 16 g
  • Cholesterol Content: 47 mg
  • Sodium Content: 266 mg

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