Pear and gorgonzola crostoni

....or cheese on toast, Italian style.

This 'crostone' is a decent sized snack, perfect for a light lunch, not to be confused with 'crostini' which are smaller, bite-sized pieces of toasted bread, usually served at aperitif time ('...ini' suffix in Italian indicating something small, '...oni' indicating something big).

The combination of blue cheese and pear is not a new one I know but the two work perfectly together. You get the best results from using a really strong blue cheese in order to offset the sweetness of the pear. I've used gorgonzola here but make sure it's piccante (which is the strong one) rather than the milder gorgonzola dolce. Roquefort and stilton are excellent too.

You need a thick slice of crusty bread for this. I've found that anything with seeds or nuts in really enhances it, my absolute favourite being walnut bread. However, it's good with just a decent wholemeal or white loaf too so just give it a go.

RECIPE - serves 1

a thick slice of crusty bread (see note above)
gorgonzola 'piccante' or similar blue cheese, enough to cover the bread
half a pear, thinly sliced
a drizzle of honey (optional)

Lightly toast the bread on both sides. Slice the cheese, not too thinly, and cover the toasted bread with it. Put it under a hot grill until bubbling. Top with the pear slices and drizzle with honey.