Risotto with Portugese sheep cheese and spicy pears

On SortedFood an other foodie like me made a risotto with this cheese and told everybody it was his favourite cheese. Liquid sheep milk cheese from Portugal.

Queijo de Ovelha Curado Terras Altas, Portugal

He gave me the adress of a German importer and I ordered it online on eBAY. It came 2 days after I placed my order and I was curious to try it.

What works good with strong cheese ? Pears!

The cheese is not for everyone. People who are not eating smelly or strong tasting cheeses wont like this recipe and should not buy the cheese.

I even intensified the taste of the risotto by adding some crushed juiniper berries and a twig of rosemary to counteract with the cheese. Otherwise the cheese overpowers the risotto.
The pear I used was hard and that is the best way to eat it in this dish. You have the slight crunch of the fruits with the melty cheesy risotto.

recipe for 1:
60 g Carneroli rice
1 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
150 ml white wine
3 crushed juiniper berries
1 twig rosemary
1 tbsp butter
300 ml beef stock homemade
3 tbsp Portugese liquid cheese

1 unripe pear
1/2 lemon juiced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp Ancho chili
Angelica salt
white pepper
2 tbsp Noilly Prat

Peel and chop shallot and garlic and saute in butter with berries and rosemary, add the rice and coat well.
Start with the wine and cook down. Add broth bit by bit until the rice is done but not soft in the middle. Fish out the spices.
Add the cheese and let it melt.

In the meantime peel the pear and cut it into cubes, press the lemon juice over it.
In a small pan heat up sugar and butter, add the pears with the lemon juice and cook them.
Season and give it a good kick with the Ancho chili.
Add the Noilly Prat and wait until the pears soften, but retain their crunch.