Pears with Cream Cheese and Dried Fruit

° Serves 6

This is an easy fall or winter dessert. The cheese balls can be made ahead. I mix different types of nuts and dried fruits into regular cream cheese and form it into balls. You might like to serve cookies alongside.

• 4 ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears (about 9 ounces each)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Cream Cheese Balls
• ⅓ cup hazelnuts, crushed
• One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1¼ cups mixed dried fruit (apricots, cherries, raisins, and/or pears), cut into ¼-inch dice
• 6 sprigs of mint, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the pears, cut them in half, and remove the cores. Cut each half into 3 wedges. Roll them in the lemon juice and set aside.

Prepare the cream cheese balls: Spread the nuts out on a cookie sheet lined with nonstick aluminum foil and toast in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool.

Mix the cream cheese, hazelnuts, and dried fruit in a bowl. Using a spoon or dampened hands, form the mixture into 6 balls.

At serving time, place one cream cheese ball in the center of each dessert plate and surround with 4 pear wedges. Place a sprig of mint in each ball and serve.

Make the cream cheese balls ahead for this cool-weather dessert.