Brandy Honey Apples with Gorgonzola and Pecans

I'm sure Nigella would forgive me for changing her recipe. I'm 200% sure that she is a recipe fiddler (and who isn't really when you've run out of ingredients?) and fiddling is good for you unless you are say.... an accountant fiddling with the numbers.

I did three substitutions: 1. I replaced the pears with a Granny Smith apple as there were no Beurre Bosc pears to be had and 2. I substituted the Marsala for Brandy and 3. I substituted the walnuts for pecans as I like pecans better and had run out of walnuts. And let me say that the smell of this cooking is wonderful, truly.

Brandy Honey Apples with Gorgonzola and Pecans

• 2 x 15ml tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin)

• 2 pears (approx 500g total weight), unpeeled and uncored

• 3 x 15ml tablespoons Marsala

• 2 x15ml tablespoons honey

• 50g walnut halves

• 500g ripe gorgonzola in perfect condition (it should never have seen the inside of your fridge). OK mine did, shoot me. Sometimes Nigella can be unrealistic

Step 1 - Let the oil heat in a large frying pan, while you cut the pears into eighths i.e. quarter them and halve each quarter

Step 2 - Fry the pears for 3 minutes on each side, and, while they are frying, whisk the Marsala and honey together in a cup.

Step 3 - When the pears have had their time, throw in the Marsala-honey mixture and let it bubble up vociferously around the pears, them transfer them, all bronzed and syrupy, to a plate.

Step 4 - Add the walnut halves to the dark juices left in the pan and story fry them for about a minutes until they are themselves darkened in part and sticky all over. Remove them to the plate with the pears and add  Gorgonzola.

Recipe by Nigella Lawson from Nigella Express