Oven Roasted Pear with Gorgonzola, Apricots and Pecans

3 ripe but firm Anjou pears

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 oz coarsely crumbles gorgonzola cheese

¼ cup diced dried apricots

1 tbs Panko crumbs

¼ cup soft butter

¼ cup pecans toasted and chopped

½ cup apple juice

¼ cup melted butter

¼ cup sugar

Freshly ground pepper

Peel pears and slice them lengthwise into half’s. With a melon baller remove the core from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Trim a small slice of each pear, so the will not wobble. Blend the cheese, apricots, pecans, butter and bread crumbs in a bowl, season with fresh ground black pepper. Dip pear half’s in the melted butter, then in the sugar, place them cut side down on a cookie sheet and pour the apple juice over the pears and bake at 375 degrees for 15 min, remove from oven and fill with the cheese filling, return to oven a bake until done, basting the pears with the pan jus. Let rest before serving for 5 min, drizzle the remaining pan jus over the pars and serve with mixed green salad.

Three Vinegar Vinaigrette!

1½ cup olive oil

½ cup equal parts sherry vin, white balsamic vin and red wine vinegar

1 small garlic clove crushed

½ tea spoon sugar

2-3 dashed Worcestershire sauce

1 finely chopped shallot

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Some fresh chopped herbs {chives, parsley and thyme}

Wisk all ingredients except olive oil in a bowl, then slowly wisk the olive oil to the mixture, let sit a room temp for 30 min. Finish to taste before serving.

Chilean Sea Bass

6 6oz Portions of skinless Sea Bass or Salmon Filet

Salt and pepper

Juice of one Lemon

3 dashes of L&P Sauce

1 Ts Herbs de Provence

2 Tbs Olive Oil

2 Tbs Butter

Season Sea Bass with salt and pepper and squeeze lemon juice over the filets with a few dashed of Worcestershire sauce, let marinate for a few minutes.

Heat olive oil and butter in a sauté pan, when it start foaming place the sea bass filet dusted with herbs de Provence in the pan and caramelize until golden brown.

Pre heat oven to 375, bake sea bass for 7 minutes.

Drizzle the Fish with soy caramel sauce, top with thinly sliced pickled ginger and scallions. Enjoy !

Rice Cakes with Shitake Mushrooms

2.5 cups sushi rice

5.5 to 6 cups chicken stock

1 cup Mirin { sweet }

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup sesame seed oil

¼ cup chopped ginger

2 tbs chopped garlic

1 tbs chopped shallots

1 bunch scallions thinly sliced

7-10 shitake mushrooms sliced

Salt and pepper

In a heavy bottom sauce pan heat the sesame seed oil until medium hot, add garlic, ginger and shallots, stir for 1 min, add ½ the chopped scallions, sauté for 1 min, add rice and stir to coat well, stir for 1 min, deglaze with Mirin and 1 cup of warm chicken stock.

Cook risotto style over med to low heat until all the stock is used or until rice is cooked well, ad remaining scallions and soy, season to taste.

Grease sheet pan with Pam spray, spread rice evenly with spatula and set in refrigerator.

When rice is totally chilled { over night is great } using a round cutter from rice cakes and fry in small batches in non stick pan until crispy. Enjoy as a side dish.