Pear Wafers and Cheese

Invite guests in to toast Fall and serve this delicious appetizer. It's unusal and fun and more nutritious than ordinary crackers. And not only does this novel hors o'euvres tastes delicious, it brings a welcoming aroma throughout your whole house. Inviting and delicious. But first, before you dive right into the preparation of these pear wafers, there are two special types of equipment you MUST have. If you don't have a mandoline for slicing pears very thinly, pick one up at the grocery store for under $10. Now, if you're really into thin slices, you can spend megabucks on one of these in a specialty store. The choice is yours, but you have to have THIN slices of pears. And the next thing you need is a pair of Silpat liners for your baking sheets. These are from France, available at a specialty store, and a must-have for this recipe. Parchment won't do. It's Silpat or don't even try this. The pear slices will stick to anything else. Trust me on that one. The liners are expensive but can be used over and over for baking cookies, candies, and all sorts of things and, in my opinion, are definitely worth the investment.

Okay, once you have the right stuff, you're ready to go... Preheat your oven to 225 degrees. In a small sauce pan, heat 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 Tbls. lemon juice. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside. Slice the unpeeled pears (your choice of good pears, firm, but not too firm) paper thin. Just run it right over the mandoline blade and when you get to the middle of the pear, your slices will contain a slice of the pear stem (those are my favorites!). Dip each slice in sugar water, shake off excess water, and place in a single later, untouching, on the Silpat liner. Place in the oven and bake for 4 hours. Store in a tin to retain the crispness.

Before baking...

After baking... I serve pear wafers with Boursin Cheese Spread. It's a mild, peppery cheese that is easily found in the specialty cheese section of your favorite grocery store. If you can't find it, here's a quick and simple recipe: 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened, 4 ounces farmers cheese, 2 large cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup finely minced chives, 1/2 cup finely minced parsley, lots of freshly ground pepper, salt to taste. Mash garlic and add to chives and parsley. Mix with cheeses in a mixer. Season with a little salt and alot of pepper. Chill. Bring to room temperature for serving.