Ingredients
2 large heads of broccoli, about 1kg
800ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
100g Stilton, crumbled
2 firm but ripe pears
25g butter
handful of toasted flaked almonds, to garnish
Method
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Cut the broccoli into florets, but do not waste the stalks. Peel off the tough skins from the stalks and roughly chop up the tender core.
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Bring the stock to the boil in a medium saucepan. Add the broccoli and cover the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the broccoli is tender but still bright green. In two batches, blend the broccoli into a smooth soup, adding a third of the crumbled Stilton as you do so. Return the soup to the pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning and reheat just before serving.
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Peel the pears and cut them in half lengthways. Remove the cores with an apple corer. Melt the butter in a pan and add the pear halves, cut side down. Spoon over the foaming butter to baste as you cook the pears. Pan-roast them on one side for 1-2 minutes until they are golden brown around the edges, then flip them over to roast the other side. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, then remove to a plate and drain off the excess butter.
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Pour the soup into warm bowls and rest a pan-roasted pear half in the centre. Scatter over the remaining crumbled Stilton and the flaked almonds. Serve at once.
