Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pound cooking pears, such as Bartlett, cored, quartered and small diced
- Pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
For the quesadillas:
- 1/2 pound Maytag Farms Blue Cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 pound Brie, thinly sliced
- 16 small flour tortillas
- Vegetable oil for pan frying
For the walnuts:
- 1 cup walnut pieces
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon and sugar mixture
Directions
In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar and cinnamon, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the pears and salt. Mix well. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the pears and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
Place 1/2-ounce of the blue cheese and 1/2-ounce of the brie over half of each tortilla. Fold the tortillas over and press firmly. In a large saute pan, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add a third of the quesadillas and pan fry for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown and the cheese is melted. Pan-fry the rest of the quesadillas in small batches.
Fry the walnuts for 1 minute. Remove and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Drain on paper towels. Slice the quesadillas in half and serve with the pear compote and walnuts. Garnish with parsley
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By jpope_6376254
Menomonee Falls, WI
on January 02, 2010
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I love putting just about anything in a quesadilla but this combination now is one of my favorites. The balance of sweet and savory is just divine. Another slam dunk for Emeril!!
By elizabethhughes...
Chicago, IL
on February 19, 2007
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Okay- to be honest, i didn't make these. A friend did for a party and they were incredible!! People were gathered around the quesadillas all night (yes i was one of those people. I'm not a big fan of blue cheese but the brie mellowed its sharp flavor and the pear compote added just the right amount of sweetness to make this recipe truly unique. I can't wait to make them myself!
By malloryla_1434230
Chicago, IL
on November 20, 2004
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This is simply divine, with the emphasis on both!
I have been making this dish for at least two years after having first seen it on the show, so am amazed to be the first person reviewing it. But as a quick scan of the recipes that include pears on this website will demonstrate, pears and blue cheese are an unlikely but miraculous match, raw or otherwise. Pears have a subtle sweetness, the blue cheese adds a wonderful sharp high note, so the combo has become classic.
What Emeril has devised is a yummy "poor cousin" to Brie en Croute with about 5% of the effort! The pear and blue cheese addition is just lovely, believe me. It is one of those recipes that, after making it once, is 2nd nature and takes mere minutes from start to finish. And the results are spectacular! You've GOT to try this!
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