Warm Hazelnut Pears With Sweet Mascarpone Cream

• 1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 large ripe pears (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/4 cup Frangelico (hazelnut-flavored liqueur)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 5 teaspoons chopped hazelnuts, toasted

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth.
2. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pears, and saute 10 minutes or until tender. Add Frangelico and brown sugar, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. Divide warm pear mixture evenly among 5 dessert plates; drizzle with mascarpone cream, and sprinkle with hazelnuts.
4. A Toast to Nuts: One of the best ways to bring out the flavor in nuts is to toast them. Heating helps release flavor compounds that make for a richer, more intensely nutty taste. To toast hazelnuts, place them in a shallow pan or on a baking sheet, and bake at 350u0b0 for 15 minutes or until the nuts are fragrant, stirring once. (Or quickly toast them in a skillet over medium-high heat.) Turn nuts out onto a towel. Roll up the towel, and rub the hazelnuts to remove the skins.

ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese, sugar, vanilla, butter, frangelico, brown sugar, hazelnuts

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/warm-hazelnut-pears-with-sweet-mascarpone-cream (may not work)