Blue Cheese And Brie Quesadillas With A Pear And Brown Sugar

Tablespoon Butter
1/4 Cup Brown sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1 Pound Cooking pears; such as Bartlett; cored, quartered and small diced
1 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 Tablespoon Cinnamon and sugar mixture
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.
Yield: 8 servings