STILTON AND PECAN SABLÉS WITH GRILLED PEARS

This makes a delicate canapé, rich in flavor. The buttery, nutty, sandy base disintegrates in your mouth, leaving a smooth combination of blue cheese and soft pear.

6 ounces chopped pecans

3 cups flour

½ teaspoon celery seeds

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 pound Stilton cheese, crumbled

1 ripe pear

1 teaspoon walnut oil

8 ounces goat cheese, softened

1 bunch fresh dill

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roast the pecans in the oven on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes. Cool and finely chop the nuts. In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour, celery seeds, and cayenne pepper. Cut in the softened butter, continuing until the flour mixture has the consistency of bread crumbs. Add the cheese, and mix well into the flour mixture; then add the pecans. Collect the dough into a ball, and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Use the parchment paper to roll the dough into a log about 1 inch thick. Chill in the refrigerator until the dough is firm.

2. Cut the chilled dough into ¼-inch round slices, and place the slices 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the sablés just start to color. Remove from the oven, lift onto a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely. The sablés can then be kept in an airtight container for several days.

3. When ready to serve, first quarter and peel the pear, removing the core and tossing the pear quarters in the walnut oil. Either broil or grill the pear quarters until they begin to soften. Remove from the oven or grill, and allow them to cool. While the pears are cooling, place the softened goat cheese in a piping bag fitted with a small star tube, and pipe a rosette of goat cheese on each sablé. Decorate each with a thin slice of the grilled pear, and top each pear slice with a tiny sprig of dill.

MAKES 50 PIECES