Cranberry-Orange Cheesecake Pears

• 10 bosc pears
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 cups 100% cranberry juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1 cup light cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 teaspoon ground ginger
• 18 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
• 13 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
• 12 cup unsalted almonds, sliced and toasted

1. PREPARE PEARS:.
2. Peel pears.
3. Trim bottoms so that they sit flat.
4. Using a small spoon or a melon baller, scoop out and discard cores.
5. Place pears in a very large, wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
6. Add cinnamon sticks and juices.
7. Scrape out seeds from vanilla bean and stir in; add scraped bean husks, too.
8. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.
9. Cover and simmer, occasionally turning pears over carefully to ensure even cooking, until almost tender but still a little firm, about 20-25 minutes.
10. PREPARE CHEESECAKE STUFFING:.
11. In a bowl, stir cream cheese with vanilla extract, ginger and almond extract (if using) until mixed.
12. If the mixture is too thick to stir easily, add a few spoonfuls of hot pear cooking liquid.
13. (The sauce mixture up to this point may be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
14. ).
15. Stir in cranberries and almonds.
16. STUFF PEARS:.
17. Carefully spoon pears onto a large platter.
18. Cover and refrigerate to cool completely.
19. Boil remaining pear liquid in pan, stirring often, until it reduces to 1/2 cup.
20. The sauce will foam and bubble toward the end of cooking, so be sure to stir often.
21. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon sticks and vanilla husks.
22. (Up to this point, pears and sauce can be made the night before.
23. ).
24. To serve, fill pears with cream cheese mixture.
25. (Stuffed pears may be refrigerated up to 6 hours before serving.
26. Allow pears and sauce to come to room temperature before serving.
27. ).
28. Place on plates and spoon sauce over the top.

cinnamon sticks, cranberry juice, orange juice, vanilla bean, light cream cheese, vanilla, ground ginger, almond, cranberries, unsalted almonds

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/cranberry-orange-cheesecake-pears-322861 (may not work)