Caramelized Pears With Blue Cheese And Ginger Gastrique

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 peeled Bosc pears, cored and each cut into 4 wedges
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) blue cheese, crumbled
• Dash of cracked black pepper
• Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan over high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 8 minutes), stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Drain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, reserving cooking liquid; discard solids. Cool.
2. Melt brown sugar and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 2 minutes. Stir in chopped thyme, juice, and salt. Add pears, cut-side down, to pan. Reduce heat to low; cook 2 minutes or until tender, turning once.
3. Arrange 2 pear wedges on each of 4 plates; drizzle pears evenly with pan juices. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over each serving; top each serving with 2 tablespoons reserved cooking liquid. Sprinkle with black pepper. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

sugar, water, champagne vinegar, fresh ginger, brown sugar, butter, thyme, lemon juice, salt, wedges, blue cheese, black pepper, thyme

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/caramelized-pears-with-blue-cheese-ginger-gastrique (may not work)