Ingredients

• 125g/4½oz puff pastry
• 2 pears
• peeled
• 500ml/18fl oz red wine
• 85g/3oz caster sugar
• 2 tbsp cassis (optional)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 clove
• 1 dried red chilli
• 150g/5½oz Stilton
• crumbled
• 60g/2¼oz pistachios
• shelled and chopped
• baby salad leaves
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 3mm/â…›in thick and prick all over with a fork. Place the pastry between two non-stick baking sheets
• transfer to a baking tray and cook in the oven until golden-brown and crisp. Leave to cool then cut into four rectangles.
• Put the pears in a saucepan with the wine
• sugar
• liqueur
• spices and chilli. Quickly bring to a boil then cover with greaseproof paper and simmer until tender
• turning the pears gently during cooking. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.
• Once cooled
• drain the pears
• reserving the cooking liquid. Cut the pears in half
• remove the cores then cut into slices and place on the rectangles of pastry.
• Return the cooking liquid to the pan and boil quickly until the liquid is syrupy.
• Sprinkle the Stilton and pistachios over the pears. Garnish with a few salad leaves dressed with the olive oil
• lemon juice
• salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve with a drizzle of the red wine syrup and a few drops of olive oil.