Pear & Camembert Quesadillas

This unusual combination of ingredients is a great starter for almost any meal and a guaranteed crowd pleaser. As easy to prepare as uno, dos, tres.

(serves 6)

1 lime
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
4 8-inch flour tortillas
2 jalapeno or serrano chilies, (seeds and membranes discarded, diced finely)
1 ripe pears, (peeled, cored and thinly sliced)
6 oz ripe Camembert cheese, (sliced into 1/4-inch slices), rind removal is optional)
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, (remove and discard stems before measuring)

1) Zest the lime(s), then juice them. Blend the zest, 1 T lime juice, salt and sour cream or plain yogurt with a fork until the mixture is smooth. Set aside in the refrigerator.

2) Heat a 10-inch saute pan or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Place 1 tortilla in the pan for approximately 40 seconds on each side or until it just begins to brown. Remove. Repeat with a second tortilla. (If you tortilla expands like a blow fish, poke it with a fork to release the hot air.)

3) After the second tortilla has browned, leave it in the pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Immediately sprinkle half of the diced chilies onto the tortilla. Cover with half of the pear slices. Place half of the Camembert strips over the pears. Top with half of the cilantro, then cover with second tortilla. Cover the pan with the lid and cook for 2 minutes.

4) Flip the quesadilla with a spatula, re-cover the pan and continue cooking for 2 more minutes. (Don’t worry if a bit of cheese escapes and begins to sizzle loudly.)

5) Remove the quesadilla from the pan, let sit for 1 minute, then cut into 8 wedges (just like pizza).

6) Fill a small bowl or teacup with the sour cream dip or yogurt and place it in the middle of the serving plate.

7) Serve immediately (you may wait until the second batch is completed, but these are the best served directly out of the pan).

8) Repeat the process for the remaining quesadillas.