Prosciutto Wrapped Pears and Parmesan

    Oh, how I love this appetizer!  What's not to love, I ask you?  Prosciutto?  Pears?  Parmesan?  Balsamic glaze?  Very little prep time?  Are you sold yet?

   I am sharing yet another one of my fabulous friend Angela's recipes with you.  I am telling you, that girl is a wealth of amazing resources!  She brought this to a party we both attended a little over a year ago and I was absolutely hooked.  So much so that I begged her to bring it to the next party we were both invited to.  Maybe even the next one and the one after that.  Eventually, I felt guilty and decided to just learn how to make these myself.  Angela and her family affectionately refer to these as the 3 Ps.  Whatever you choose to call them, just make them and share them soon!

   Make sure that you begin with good pears and good parmesan.  Angela always uses Parmigiano Reggiano, but I prefer a nice domestic parmesan.  Recently, I discovered Sartori brand at my local Kroger and I absolutely love the taste of this cheese!  It is all I have been using the past few times I have made this and I have been using it in plenty of other recipes, as well.  You can usually find it in the fine cheese section of your grocery store.  They also sell containers of pre-shredded parmesan for other recipes.  You want the wedge for this one, though.  Sartori also produces some other divine types of cheeses that I just can't get enough of such as their BellaVitano cheeses in flavors such as balsamic, raspberry, and Merlot.  If you see these at your own grocery stores, grab them and pair them with a nice cracker for a true treat!

   Be sure you have your prosciutto sliced very, very thinly at the deli.  If you don't, it will be difficult to wrap around the cheese and pears.  Also, it's fairly expensive so you don't want to run up a huge grocery bill by having it cut too thickly.

   To me, the balsamic reduction is what really makes this recipe so special.  Be very, very, very careful when you are reducing your vinegar and do NOT walk away.  It is entirely too easy to ruin not only your reduction but also the pot you are reducing it in.  Just trust me on this one!

   A small word regarding measurements . . .  I realize they are very vague in this recipe and I apologize in advance.  You just kind of have to match up the quantity of the ingredients you are using so you need to take this into consideration when slicing your pears, parmesan, and prosciutto so that the size of each pretty much matches.

Prosciutto Wrapped Pears and Parmesan (click on title for a printable version)

2 ripe pears (I prefer to use d'anjou pears for this but any will work)
wedge of parmesan cheese (again, I really love Sartori)
3 - 4 slices of prosciutto
1/4 C. balsamic vinegar (I can't promise I don't use a bit more of this.  Measurements are hard for this recipe!)
1/2 t. sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a 9X13" glass baking dish.

Combine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until vinegar begins to thicken and reduce.  Remove from heat and cool once it seems fairly thick.

Peel and core pears.  Slice into 1/2" slices.  Set aside.

Cut parmesan into small pieces roughly equal to the size of the pears but a little thinner.  Cut enough to match the number of pear slices.

Slice the prosciutto into thin strips so that they can be wrapped around the pears and parmesan.

Lay a slice of parmesan on top of each pear slice and wrap with a small slice of prosciutto. You don't have to be too exact about getting the prosciutto wrapped around the pears and parmesan since the cheese will melt and secure it all together.  Place the pear into the baking dish and continue wrapping the remaining pears and cheese.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until the prosciutto begins to crisp a little.  Remove from the oven and immediately place pears on a serving dish.  Be careful when you do this to ensure that the pieces stay together.  Drizzle with balsamic reduction.