No joke, this is the absolute best cream cheese appetizer!
In case you haven’t noticed it’s one day until Christmas. Which means it’s the day before Christmas Eve – which means you probably need a delicious appetizer or two for the up coming festivities, family visits, friends popping in etc.
I’ve got you covered….This Cream Cheese Appetizer with Poached Pear & Toasted Pecans is to die for and it has a pear glaze that ties all the flavours together and compliments the delicate flavour of the cream cheese to a T! It takes 20 minutes to put together and it LOOKS amazing! Your friends and family will be totally impressed. Throw a few grapes and crackers on a cheese board and you’re done. Ready to enjoy the evening and some much needed (I’m sure) relaxation and happy socialising.
Yesterday I shared a perfectly light and delicious Christmas salad – take a look at my Pecan Cranberry & Avocado Salad with Orange Dressing. And if you need a delicious and gorgeous looking dessert for Christmas day my Baked Vanilla Cheesecake with Cherry Coulis won’t disappoint. For a yummy, quick & easy cookie recipe try my Spiced Festive Ginger & Syrup Cookies.
I have put together a little cheat sheet to help you get super organised this Christmas day, a few tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years that are foolproof and allow you to enjoy the moment while getting everything done on time. Download my 7 Simple Steps to Being Super Organised This Christmas here.
Try this cream cheese appetizer this holiday season, my friends and family loved it, I’m sure yours will too! This is my last post until next year, I’m going to do some relaxing of my own for a week…
A very happy Christmas to all of you, see you on the blog next year!
- 250 g block of cream cheese
- 1/2 a pear
- 2 tsp honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1 handful pecans
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Slice pear in half through the core, then in half again long ways. Now slice the 2 quarters long ways into 1cm thick half-moon slices.
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Place the pear slices in a small sauce pan with the water and 1 tsp honey. Give them a gentle stir and then simmer on a med high heat until the pears are soft and the water has reduced. About 5 minutes.
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While the pears are poaching, place the pecans in a saucepan and toast on a med high heat, stirring occasionally until they are darker brown and toasted.
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When the pears are soft but firm enough to hold their shape, take them out of the pear water and place on a plate. Add the remaining tsp of honey to the water and simmer to reduce the glaze - about 1 minute. Take off the heat and pour a little into a small bowl and with the cornflour, stirring until it dissolves, pour back into the pear water and boil until it thickens. If it gets too thick add a little bit of water. Leave to cool.
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Place cream cheese on a serving platter, pour over the cool glaze, top with pears and pecans and serve with crackers.