pears with cracked pepper

Ten minutes after I finished this sketch, these pears were split, cored, and laying face down in a skillet of bubbling sugar. Once the pears and syrup colored nicely, I added again as much heavy cream with a good shot of fresh cracked black pepper.

My in-laws used to send me a wheel of Maytag Blue for the holiday- they've long passed, but in loving memory I picked up my own to go with this dessert. It's a classic combination and the spicy caramel sauce really kicks it. The pastel would be better, but I was hungry.